Emperor of the World
by tree489
Summary: Draco has almost defeated Voldemort to take over the world for himself and he wants Hermione to be with him as his plans for world domination unfold.
1. Chapter 1

I only own the plot.

Emperor of the World

Chapter 1

Looking up into his malicious grey eyes, I was consumed by two emotions; absolute fear and awe. Every mannerism of his implied his immense power, and capabilities that I had turned a blind eye to. I always thought he was too weak and afraid to be capable of instilling terror in anyone, especially myself, one who had grown up with his antics and became accustomed to them. That was all a façade apparently, while he mustered all of his power to make his goals a reality.

To overthrow Voldemort and become the new Dark Lord, to become Emperor of the World.

I had been in hiding with other survivors of the final battle who fought for the light side. We were living day to day, hoping we might never be found. It was of course too much to hope that one day we would become an underground secret organization that would one day have the capabilities to rise up against the Death Eaters régime. We hoped we could connect with other survivors throughout the world to create a new army for the light side. It is remarkable that no matter how desolate life may seem under the worst circumstances, as long man is not alone in his misery, he will still have hope that one day things will be better.

However, it was only a false hope because we were of course discovered. By Draco Malfoy's own cunning of course, as he had just told me. He was the master of every plan and led every raid. I was shocked to learn of his increasing power when news leaked into our hiding spot from the outside world from time to time. He was Voldemort's right hand man. It was all part of his plan to take over and he has almost succeeded, or so he says.

His exposure of my camp was to prove his effectiveness as a leader, to hopefully attract any Death Eaters still loyal Voldemort.

"The brightest witch of our age, Hermione Granger can't even hide from me, but she has been able to evade Voldemort for the past four years. His plans always failed, but I have eluded failure time and time again. Voldemort was effective in the past, but he has no place in the present or the future!" he shouted to his followers, getting them pumped up for their success, when he summoned them to a meeting after the raid. They cheered for him and their victory, shouting back and pumping their fists like the mindless mob they were.

I was chained in the center of the room with dark walls and blood red carpet, pulling against my chains the entire time. Foolish, I know because I even knew at the time that those chains were never going to break, but I was so consume by fear and anger that I could not stop. I was the prize for his genius, put on show so he could prove his incredible brilliance. I had eluded the Death Eaters for years with my band of survivors. I knew we could not have been easy to find, so for his cause, it was a reason for great celebration.

I was now chained in a room connected to his bedroom and had been for the past four hours. A clock was directly across from me on a small nightstand, and time was moving painfully slow. I only knew the room was connected to Malfoy's bedroom because when Malfoy finally came in, I had a glimpse of a grand bed, possibly bigger than any normal king sized bed. He could be the only person in the house with such a big bed; he would only buy the best for himself. Still, it seemed strange for a single man to have such a large bed. The room I was chained in was a bedroom also, but surprisingly pleasant with light green carpet and white walls. The furniture was elegant and made of a light colored wood. The room had a sense of peacefulness, which was in complete contrast to the rest of the Malfoy Manor which was dark and cold.

"This was my mother's second bedroom and study when she was alive. She always came here when she fought with my father," was the first thing Malfoy said in a shockingly polite tone when he entered the room. I was surprised to hear anything remotely personal about his family come from his mouth, especially in a pleasant tone directed towards me. But his musing did not last long and no more than a second passed before he began glaring at me and divulging his master plans of world domination, sharing with me all of his success thus far, proving his great power.

I wanted to hurt him, lash out at him cruelly for what he had done me and the others he found me with, but I was to exhausted from struggling so hard the entire night to even speak when he came in. The cold metal cuff around my wrist was bruising me, but I'll be damned if I make any complaint in front of him. In my weakened state, now was not the time for mundane complaints about a bruised wrist. I had certainly had worse before, especially earlier tonight. By the time I arrived at the Malfoy Manor, I was bleeding and bruised all over. I was shocked when he ordered Theodore Nott to heal me.

"I don't want her dirtying my chambers more than I can help it," he said disgustedly to Nott.

I expected he would have liked to have me sitting in my own filth and pain, despite his desire for a clean house. He always liked making me uncomfortable or causing me pain, and leaving the infinite wounds I had amassed throughout the night unhealed would have caused more pain than I could imagine.

"I understand," Nott replied to this request simply, but gave him a strange look before taking me from the room; clearly confused by the fact I had not been killed flat out like everyone else they found. Malfoy gave him a slight nod and a meaningful look, inferring that he would explain everything to him later. Nott knew better than to ask about anything in front of the rest of the group. While in hiding, I had learned that Nott and Blaise Zabini were Malfoy's right hand men and most loyal supporters. Not body guards, although they would certainly die for him, but they were his only friends and the only people he knew he could trust. They have known of his plans to take over from the beginning and supported him the whole way through. It is a good thing neither is the jealous type or power hungry enough to challenge Malfoy. Many people would get jealous if someone so close to them gained so much power with no intention of sharing it. Perhaps it was simply they understood his immense power and if they tried to stand up to him, they would undoubtedly perish. Whatever their relationship is, they are the only two people Malfoy treats like equals.

He was now standing over me, telling me his ambitions and how he has almost succeeded in getting everything he has ever wanted.

"Now all I need to do is find where Voldemort and his few remaining followers are hiding. It won't be too long now," he finished wistfully with a glint in his eyes. He was pacing in front of me, sharing and contemplating his dark plans.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked exasperatedly, interrupting for the first time in his long rant, finding the will to try and get under his skin. I was in no position to be so frank with him, but I could not help it. I was looking to argue with him the way we used to in school and I knew my talking would irritate him. Through arguing, I could regain some of my pride at being diminished to a prisoner.

"Be quiet Granger. Your questions are ruining my scheming here," he replied turning his calculating eyes on me.

"Well you're the one that's keeping me here. It's your own fault your ludicrous fantasy is being ruined."

"If you would shut your mouth when I told you to, there wouldn't be a problem."

"Maybe not for you. Why am I here?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," he said smugly.

He is so childish sometimes.

"Well umm…yes, I would like to know. That is why I asked," I responded as though I was speaking to someone mentally deficient.

He turned from patronizing to cold in an instant.

"Don't give me any of your attitude Granger. You wouldn't if you know what's good for you. Would you rather be dead like the rest of your lot?" he snarled.

"I'd rather be dead than be chained prisoner here in your God forsaken house!" I lashed out, acting braver than I felt. I have always been proud of by ability to summon courage when threatened or in the face of danger, when I really only wanted to shy away from any confrontations.

"I'm sure you would Granger. Foolish Mudblood," he said tersely, "But I can't do that."

"Why the hell not?" I was sincerely irritated. He had no trouble killing countless others, but he could not kill me. Not that I was exactly pinning for death, but what kind of logic is that?

"That is for me to know, not you. Anyways, it looks like Nott healed you nicely and I hope you thanked him for that. He's really very good at healing. But there is really nothing for us to discuss at the moment so I think I'm about done here," he said amused at my irritation.

He squatted down directly in front of me and grabbed my chained wrist roughly, making me gasp in pain, for the bruise that had formed beneath the cuff of the chain. He pulled out his wand and put it into the hole where a key would normally go and released me from the chain. I felt such a relief in my wrist as the chain fell away, but was disappointed to see that it there was already a dark bruise there.

"Now listen to me Granger," he said as he stood up, "the only rooms you can go into are your bathroom and my room. Don't even try leaving this room through any other door because it won't work. I have wards set up so that you can only be in this room, your bathroom, and my bedroom. Also only I can enter your room, except the house elves of course. And don't get any ideas about trying to kill me in my sleep. Any time you enter my room, my wand sets off an alarm only I can hear. Same thing goes if you try to kill yourself too; however, I hope you are above that decision."

He strode quickly to the door and as he opened it, without turning around, or waiting for a response, he said, "Goodnight Granger," and shut the door quickly behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

I only own the plot.

Chapter 2

I awoke suddenly with a cramp in my leg, a pain in my neck, and the unnerving feeling that someone was watching me. Even in my drowsy and disoriented state, I knew exactly where I was. There was no way I could ever forget the horrors of being taken captive the day before; not unless someone were to cast the strongest possible memory modifying charm on me.

My neck and my leg were hurting but the feeling that I was being watched bothered me even more. Despite the fact that Malfoy had told me only he could enter my room, how was I to know if he was telling the truth or simply trying to lure me into a false sense of security; as much security as I could hope for being held prisoner in the Malfoy Manor anyways.

I slowly stretched out of my curled up position facing the wall, uncoiling my muscles from their cramped position. I didn't even have the energy to get off the floor to sleep in the bed after Malfoy unchained me last night. I turned over and sat up to lean against the pure white wall. The action gave me a dizzying head ache and I leaned my back and closed my eyes. I knew it would be awhile before I could stand up on my own.

"Finally up I see Granger," I heard Malfoy's voice from almost directly across from me, "I was wondering how much longer I would have to lie here and stare at you until your subconscious picked up on my presence."

Despite the unnerving feeling I'd been experiencing that told me someone was in the room with me, I was still startled when I heard that voice speaking to me. I kept my reaction in check though, thank goodness. The last thing I wanted was for him to think he can scare me, although I did in fact find him downright terrifying at times.

With a sigh, I lifted my head, which felt like a ton of bricks resting on my shoulders, off the wall and looked directly across from me to see Malfoy lounging comfortably on the bed, leaning against the numerous white and mint green pillows with his hands behind his head, smirking as usual.

"Why did you choose to sleep on the floor Granger? You do realize I took the chains off you so you wouldn't have to sleep on the floor don't you?" He drawled.

I refused to answer his questions because I could not stand to voice my obvious weakened condition, and a strained silence lapsed and I could feel Malfoy's anger rising.

"Well Granger? What's your reasoning? I expect an answer when I ask a question."

He was getting increasingly angry at my silence. For once, I was not denying him what he wanted completely out of spite, but instead for my own self interest. Nothing good could come out of exposing how weak I was at the moment.

"I think I see how it is," he started as my silence continued. "Your damn pride won't allow you to accept any kind of generosity from me. You'd rather die than accept help from me wouldn't you?" he sneered. "Well, let me tell you Granger, you had better start accepting any favors you get from me because they will be scarce and you sure as hell won't be getting help from anyone else around here."

My heart leapt in fear and joy. He was going to be letting me out of this place meaning that I could hopefully devise an escape plan. The downside however is that I would come into contact with whoever else was living in Malfoy Manor. I shuddered at the thought of what Malfoy's followers will do to me when, or if, I am released from the confines of this room.

"Well, is that you reasoning Granger, for not accepting the bed?" Malfoy asked impatiently snapping me out of thoughts.

I decided to find my voice and answer his questions. I was certain he would not leave me alone until I had answered his questions.

"No Malfoy, my _damn _pride did not keep me from taking the bed," I said with more attitude than I thought I had in me at the moment.

"Then what was the problem?" he replied unpleasantly.

"I was too damn tired and weak to get up to the bed thanks to your ever so kind treatment of me last night," I answered irritably. What did it matter to him anyways? Why should he care whether or not I was comfortable where I slept. I would have expected him to be happier about my staying on the floor. He probably thinks the floor is my "rightful place" as though I am some animal.

He merely snorted at my response and I was so irritated I asked, "Why does it matter to you where I sleep? So what if I didn't sleep on the bed. I don't understand why you are questioning me like the inquisition just because I didn't sleep on some damn bed!"

"When I give someone something, in your case a bed so you might sleep comfortably, I expect my favor, or my gift to be accepted."

I was completely shocked by his response. Here was the most selfish man in the world and he was, dare I say, _hurt _by my supposed dismissal of his "generosity". How could it be that although he wanted nothing more than to take over the world, and killed innocent people without a second thought, he also desperately wanted to be accepted and be able to feel that he is of some value to the people around him? Well if acceptance was what Malfoy was looking for he certainly would not find it around me, no matter how "generous" he may try to be.

"Now just get up off the floor and get on the bed Granger", he demanded.

I blanked and must have looked horrified because he immediately added,

"The last thing I'd do is force myself on you Granger. Surely I don't give off the appearance of someone who would just up and do that to a woman. I am neither that desperate nor that cruel. There are some lines I would never cross." The lousy hypocrite looked offended that I expected him to jump on me.

"It's difficult to imagine that you have any morals at all considering the way you murder innocent and unprotected people." I replied snarkily.

"Just get on the bed," he spit out angrily, as he glowered at me.

"I'll be damned if I get in that bed with you."

"Well you are going to whether you want to or not," he replied cheekily as he started getting off the bed, "it's only six in the morning and time for both of us to go back to sleep."

"Well what the hell are you doing awake and in here anyways?" I asked.

"Just checking up on my spoils of war, Granger," he replied as if it was nothing to interrupt his sleep just to see if I was sleeping or comfortable, or God knows what.

And with that said, the crazy bastard actually picked me up and carried my thrashing form and threw me on the bed. It was instantly comfortable, and I wanted nothing more than to relax into the soft mattress and plush pillows, I rebelled against being put somewhere by force. I tried sitting up multiple times only to be roughly pushed back down repeatedly, until my arms and legs began lashing out at him in an attempt to swat his body away. I continued fighting him off until he brutishly grabbed both of my arms and straddled my legs so I could not move them anymore.

He had my arms pinned to my sides and I just laid there underneath him catching my breath while glaring up into his angry face. We just stared at each other, catching our breath until he finally rolled off me and laid on his back beside me. A few minutes passed in total silence, aside from the sound of our breathing and I dared to try getting off the bed, not yet willing to admit defeat.

I had hardly sat up when his arm slithered across my waist and pulled me backwards until my back was flush against him and I released and angry cry.

"You will stay on this bed Granger. I gave you this room out of generosity and you will accept it, and by accepting it, you will sleep on this bed. I will do whatever I must to keep you on this bed," he growled in my ear from behind me, and I shuddered in response, driving him to tighten his hold on me and he pulled me closer against him.

The man was nuts, that much was clear. All of this, just to have his generosity appreciated? I decided that I didn't want to see what he would do to make me stay on the bed, and this was hardly a battle worth fighting.

The minutes lapsed and as he continued holding onto me tightly, I felt my anger fading away.

"You can let go of me now Malfoy. I'll stay on the damn bed," I said, infusing now mostly false irritation into my tone.

"I'm taking your word for it Granger, but if I find that you've moved, you will pay for it," he said, but didn't make any effort to move.

"Okay, Malfoy. I'd just really like to sleep now, so I'll stay and you can get off the bed."

He didn't say anything, and I don't think he liked the idea of me, the prisoner, dismissing him. He was slow to pull his arm away, and I couldn't help but shiver as his palm pressed against my stomach and side as he withdrew his arm. Was he doing that on purpose just to get under my skin?

I wasn't completely comfortable with Malfoy feeling me in that way, but I couldn't be totally ignorant of the way his body felt behind me. Was he aware of mine beside his in the same way? Whether it was him trying to irritate me or him feeling an inkling of attraction for a female body laying against him, I didn't care to know. Neither was particularly welcome. So as he slowly pulled his body away from mine and then got up from the bed, I didn't turn to look at him. I refused to acknowledge him as he left, choosing to act as though nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

I was lucky to be so tired that I didn't remain awake any more than a minute dwelling on what just happened.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

While taking a much needed bath in the luxurious bathroom connected to my bedroom, I tried to mentally prepare myself for what I must do later. It was difficult to do however, because I did not have the slightest idea what I might encounter while dinning with Malfoy and his followers tonight.

I woke up this morning to see a note on the nightstand beside me in especially neat handwriting.

_When you wake up call for Missy, one of my house elves. She has a meal prepared for you. After you eat, you need to clean yourself up because you will be coming to dine with me and everyone else who will be here tonight. I have special visitors coming so you had better be on your best behavior. I have placed something for you to wear inside the wardrobe. I will be here for you at seven thirty._

_D.M._

I had wolfed down the surprisingly generous portions of my meal, shocked that he did not demand that I be fed gruel or something equally disgusting. Instead, I enjoyed the most delicious potato soup with French bread and a mix of purple and green grapes. My full stomach made me feel _almost_ content. After finishing my meal, I went straight to the bathroom to clean up, deciding to wait until later to see what he had for me to wear.

Now, as I sat in the bath with water that was getting colder by the minute and the realization that Malfoy would be here in an hour to take me to slaughter, I was anything be content. Every time I thought of Malfoy, my stomach twisted with embarrassment. I was ashamed that I let my guard down and didn't kick him right off the bed after touching me last night. With almost any other male on this planet it would not have been a big deal, but because it was Malfoy and I knew I should not want to be anywhere near him, it was cringe worthy. I should have fought to make him release me. When I thought harder about why I did not, I realized that I was not only so shocked by the way he touched me and held me so firmly, but I was almost turned on by it. I wanted to smash my head off the wall after making that revelation.

I turned my head to look through the doorway and I could just see the clock sitting on the desk in the bedroom. Seeing that Malfoy would be here in forty-five minutes, and that my fingers and toes were now thoroughly pruned, I decided I had been in the bath long enough.

I was worried to see what Malfoy had for me to wear. I wasn't concerned about appearing attractive tonight, but if he gave me a potato sack to wear or some kind of garb similar to what he dresses his house elves in, my dignity would undoubtedly fall to an all new low. I figured that what he gave me to wear tonight would say a lot about my standing here.

Wrapping a towel around myself, I left the bathroom and walked over to the wardrobe. Upon opening it, I saw a black dress hanging inside. It was almost comical, to see one dress hanging dead center in the large wardrobe. As I took the dress out, I noticed there was a shelf in the back of the wardrobe, and on that shelf was a white box. I took the box out as well and moved over to the bed, laid down the dress, and sat to open the box. Inside was black lingerie that was obviously meant to be worn with the dress. Why was he giving me something so nice to wear? I didn'tt want to wear it, feeling uncomfortable that he was giving me lingerie, but what choice did I have? I had nothing else to wear under the dress and there was no way I would go commando.

When I had everything on, I couldn't help but be incredibly pleased, not only because I would not be wearing some sort of rudimentary attire, but also because it was just a simple dress. I was of course, not expecting a nice dress at all, but now that I had one, I was glad that it was not flashy or incredibly beautiful. The last thing I needed tonight was more attention called to myself. I was also pleased by the way it fit. It was just a plain black dress, very soft to the touch, which fell just above my knee. The back was low cut but still modest, and the front was a v-cut and also modest enough for my liking. I felt comfortable because of its simplicity; I had never been one for extravagant clothing.

Based on what I was wearing, I could safely assume I would not be treated like complete vermin tonight. Malfoy certainly would not give me nice clothes to wear if I was just going to be chained to a wall or be thrown onto the floor. Still, I could not fathom why he wanted me to dine with everyone tonight. If I was here to be a prisoner, why am I being dragged out of this room to attend Malfoy's social events? Are prisoners not supposed to be kept under lock and key at all times? Under any other circumstances, I would be glad for the chance to leave the room, but not if I am only being let out to be thrust into a room filled with people who would love to see me dead. Surely, they would not welcome me. I was beginning to get a little worked up because of my nervousness.

I was so caught up in my musings that I did not realize the time, until I heard a sharp knock on the door. My head turned swiftly to the door and then to the clock which read seven thirty. I took a jagged breath and my heart pounded harder as my nerves started working up, but I controlled myself, not willing to appear frenzied when I opened the door. I nervously smoothed my hands over my dress as I walked over to the door. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to see Malfoy standing there looking very nonchalant, as though he took terrified women prisoners like me to dinner with his horrifying followers on a regular basis. He gave me a once over and smirked before he raised his eyes to my face.

He gave me a condescending look and said, "Do you have a problem with wearing shoes Granger?"

Where did that come from?

"What are you talking about? Of course I don't."

"Then why aren't you wearing any?"

I looked at him like he was crazy and told him, "Because I don't have any," in a tone that made it clear I thought he was a complete imbecile.

He pursed his lips, irritated by my tone, and pushed past me into the room, slamming the door behind him and walked over to the wardrobe, bent down, and then stood back up as he turned around holding a pair of black stilettos in his hands.

"It looks like you have shoes to me, Granger," he said smirking.

As I walked over to grab the shoes off of him, mumbling about not seeing them in the wardrobe, I blushed at my own stupidity of not realizing earlier that I did not have shoes on.

I sat on the bed to put the shoes on and had just got the left shoe on when Malfoy broke the silence and said, "I'm glad to see you ate all of your food and you aren't going to try starving yourself to death."

I looked up to see him staring at the desk with the tray of empty dishes sitting on it.

"How do you know I didn't just flush it all down the toilet the moment I got it?" I replied, and he scowled at me. For a moment he appeared to be considering actually going into the bathroom the look for any evidence that I really did flush it all away; instead he said "Missy," calling his house elf into our presence.

The little house elf appeared instantly and bowed to Malfoy.

"What can I do for you, Master," she squeaked eagerly.

"Take that try on the desk away to be washed," he responded with a wave of his hand in the direction of the desk.

"Yes, Master," Missy said and obediently retrieved the tray and disappeared in a flash.

As Malfoy spoke to Missy, completely forgetting to put my other shoe on, I took the time to observe him for the first time since he had arrived a few minutes ago. He was wearing black slacks and a grey dress shirt. His sleeves were rolled up just above his elbows, making him look as though he was just doing some hard work. He had wonderfully broad shoulders and as my eyes travelled down his arms, I noticed he did not have a dark mark. How was that possible when he was once a death eater?

My curiosity getting the better of me, I could not help but ask just after Missy disappeared, "Why don't you have a dark mark?"

Surprisingly, he answered without any outward signs of irritation.

"I did not want to be identified with Voldemort anymore, not when I broke away to conquer him," he said simply. I was shocked that he could talk about overthrowing someone and stealing their power with such nonchalance.

"But how did you do it? I thought it was impossible to remove."

He laughed at my naivety. "There's a spell or charm to undo anything, except death Granger, you just have to figure it out or create one yourself."

"You created the spell to remove it didn't you?" I stated more than asked, knowing the answer before he gave the assenting nod. I was impressed, much to my chagrin.

"And no one on my side has one either. We are not death eaters and I wanted that to be clear," he said with a note of finality. "Now get your other shoe on, we need to get going."

I resumed putting my shoe on and then hesitantly stood up.

"Let's go," he said and made his way through the door and into the hall. I followed slowly until I had taken a few steps down the hall, and I came to a complete stop, staring at the floor. I was truly afraid of what might happen to me when I am surrounded by people who want me dead and I have no way of escape. _Come on_, I thought to myself, _where's your courage? You don't want Malfoy to see you acting like a scared little girl do you?_

When Malfoy did realize I had stopped following him, he turned around a walked back to me. Looking up at him as he made his way towards me, I asked, "Why are you bringing me out here? I don't like being cooped up in that room but I don't see the benefit of me having dinner with you and your followers."

As I finished talking, Malfoy was almost directly in front of me; however he did not stop, or answer my question, but continued walking around me on my right side and stopped behind me. He was close enough that I could feel his breath on the top of my head, but not so close that, aside from body heat, I could actually feel him there. I tensed, not knowing what he was planning. When his left hand found its way beneath my hair and he rested it against my upper back, just beneath the base of my neck, I tensed even more.

"Relax Granger. Nothing is going to happen to you. No one is thick enough to try to hurt you while I am with you; and only a few might be dumb enough to try when I'm not," he chuckled at the last part. He spoke quietly, trying to calm me; bending his neck down so that he was almost whispering in my ear. His thumb was moving in small circles on my neck and back. I felt myself loosening up despite myself.

"Now let's keep walking," he continued after a moment. He did not back off though. He only moved his hand so it curved around my left shoulder and he guided me through the halls and down numerous sets of stairs, obviously taking me some roundabout way so I would not be able to keep track of how to get to the place he was taking me. Eventually, we stopped in front of a set of grand mahogany doors, where I could faintly hear voices from the other side.

He gave my shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze, and I thought that I definitely trust his word that no one would hurt me here. The sense of safety I got from his touch was unexpected, but not unwelcome. I desperately hoped I was not just being a sucker, falling for the Malfoy charm.

He stepped aside and brushed past me to open the doors. Following a hard look, telling me that I better follow him in, he entered the room. After taking a steadying breath and briefly considering making a desperate break for it, imagining that maybe if I tried running away right now I could find my way out of this gigantic house, I followed him through the doors.


	4. Chapter 4

I only own the plot.

And Armand Toussaint.

Chapter 4

The large room was dimly lit with off-white walls and reddish brown hard wood floors. I would have found it warm and inviting if Malfoy's followers were not strewn throughout the room. There were not as many as I expected however, as I scanned the room, in what I hoped was a discrete manner. I noticed there were only about twenty people present, all split up into small groups of three or four chatting amongst themselves; most of whom I recognized from Hogwarts. They were not all of Malfoy's followers; they were his closest ones though. I noticed that all of them were young, from our generation. Apparently all of the older death eaters either chose to stick by Voldemort or they were already dead.

I tried to make myself invisible, as Malfoy sauntered around the room to chat with each group of guests briefly, all the while making sure I was following him. He started with the group closest to the door, speaking with his old cronies, Crabbe and Goyle. On Crabbes' arm was Marietta Edgecome and she gave me a cold look, obviously still bitter about what happened to her after she ratted on Dumbledore's Army.

The closest group to them was Zabini, Nott, and Pansy Parkinson, but Malfoy just walked by with a nod, causing Nott and Zabini to scowl at him as he passed. He instead went straight to Marcus Flint, Adrian Pucey, and a tall, handsome man I did not recognize. Malfoy of course did not include me in conversation and I was happy for it. No one took any notice of me and just when I was beginning to think that everyone here might actually leave me alone tonight, the man I did not know said, "Malfoy, who is this pretty woman that you have with you?" He had a French accent.

Malfoy looked a little irritated but replied without any hint of irritation in his tone, "This is Granger."

"Granger? Just Granger?" the man asked.

"That's all you need to know," Malfoy replied.

The man stepped forward, despite Malfoy's obvious irritation that he was bestowing any attention on me; he took my right hand and kissed it then said, "My name is Armand Toussaint. It's wonderful to meet you Granger."

I just smiled pleasantly in return. I was not in the mood to be flirted with and he was laying it on pretty thick, almost trying too hard to be appealing. Yet, he was incredibly handsome, with very dark hair and captivating light blue eyes, so I felt some desire to flirt back and I wondered how Malfoy would react if I began flirting with Toussaint. He would not be pleased with that I assumed so I kept my mouth shut and he moved on to the next set of visitors, consisting of Millicent Bulstrode, Terrence Higgs, Malcolm Baddock, and someone I knew only as Montague. Malfoy did not stay to chat long and moved to speak with Morag MacDougal, Daphne Greengrass, and Carlisle Warrington.

Every conversation was virtually the same. Questions would be asked about how their family and friends were doing and if the food and drinks circulating the room were to their satisfaction. A few times the questions would evolve into a full conversation, but for the most part, conversation stopped at small talk. Everyone was polite and amiable, even Malfoy, and it was strange to witness.

As we made our way further into the room, Nott and Zabini appeared out of nowhere, making their way towards us, clearly wanting to speak with Malfoy, but when he saw them out of his peripheral vision, he grasped my upper arm and swerved us in the opposite direction. I realized then that Malfoy was avoiding them.

"Why are you avoiding Nott and Zabini, Malfoy?" I questioned quietly as he led us to a table where a man and a woman with long, dark hair were sitting together facing the wall so no one could see their faces.

"That's none of your business Granger," he hissed and continued dragging me along.

Just before we reached the table, he said, "Will you get me a drink?" and then made his way around the table to sit down and he greeted the mysterious guests.

I walked over to the bar where drinks were sitting out to be taken at one's leisure and brought it back to Malfoy, who gave a short, barely noticeable nod in thanks.

"You've gotten her well trained I see, my nephew," I heard the woman say and my head snapped in her direction. My heart stopped and sank into my stomach. Sitting across from Malfoy was Bellatrix Lestrange and her husband Rodolphus Lestrange, both clad in black Death Eater robes, setting them apart from everyone else in the room who was dressed in cocktail dresses or slacks and a dress shirt. Why was she here? It was common knowledge to everyone that she was Voldemort's right hand woman, his most loyal minion. Why did she want to be in Malfoy's house and why did Malfoy welcome her in? That woman was a complete maniac and I wanted to be as far away from her as possible.

What had she meant about Malfoy having me well trained though? Is that what he wanted me for? He wanted me to be his own personal Mudblood slave? Well, I would not succumb to that easily. He saw defiance rising in my eyes and said, "Granger, sit down," and waved to the chair next to him, probably thinking that by ordering me to sit, he would be stopping me from doing anything rash.

I just shook my head. It was foolish to defy him, of course I knew that, but I could not stand being ordered around, even for something so insignificant, and I could not appear weak minded enough to do anything I am ordered to do around Bellatrix Lestrange; she feeds off of other people's weakness. I wanted to get my point across that I was no one's slave.

Malfoy looked slightly startled I did not comply but quickly covered his shock with his rising irritation and anger.

"Granger, you will sit down right now," he said through barred teeth and a hard voice intimating that there would be repercussions if I did not obey. That did not stop me though.

"No, I will not be ordered around. I am not your slave."

His temper was visibly rising and I fed off it as he slowly stood up and glowered down at me menacingly. I stared up into his face defiantly, not willing to back down.

"Sit down right now or so help me --!"

"Do not order me around," I cut him off, my voice rising just like his was. We were attracting the attention of the rest of the room. "Who do you think you are?"

And with that, he struck me hard across my face, his hand colliding against the corner of my mouth and I could feel my lip break open as it was sliced by my teeth.

"Filthy little mudblood!" he hissed furiously, loud enough for those closest to hear.

He gripped my upper arm with brutal force and leaned down to whisper gruffly into my ear.

"I do not want to be cruel to you Granger, but I will not have you making me look weak." I struggled to get out of his grasp and he gripped harder.

"Now go sit down," he finished and released me roughly.

He sat back down in his seat and I walked to the chair on the other side of him and across from Rodolphus. I was shaking with anger and trying to stop my lip from bleeding with my hand. Once I sat, I turned my head to my right and glared furiously at Malfoy. He smiled pleasantly at me but his eyes were cold and hard.

Any trust I had in him as I entered the room was lost and I knew I would never trust him again. I should not be so surprised he hurt me, but the worst part was that he led me in here feeling safe, and he was the one that ruined my sense of security. The wall I had foolishly started to let down was now up again, reinforced sevenfold. I swore to myself that I would never be manipulated by his words or his damn Malfoy charm ever again.

Malfoy turned back to his aunt and said, "Where were we?" as though there was merely a tiny, unimportant interruption to their previous conversation.

Bellatrix however was not ready to let my defiant action go.

"You really need to work on the mudblood's obedience," she said, and I looked away from Malfoy to see her giving me a dirty look filled with revulsion.

"Yes, I am aware," Malfoy drawled, feigning boredom with the topic of conversation, but upon looking at him, I could see that he was disgruntled at being told what to do by his aunt.

"Are you sure that was enough punishment, Draco? She is rather stubborn and one blow to the face is hardly enough to teach anyone a lesson, espicially a mudblood."

Yes, I am certain she gets the point," Malfoy said, some of the irritation sneaking into his voice. I was beginning to get a little nervous, sitting there listening to her talk about torturing me so I could 'learn a lesson'.

"I don't know Draco," Bellatrix continued, "Why don't you let me at her for just a few minutes. I'll teach her to never defy an order from her superiors." She had a mad glint in her eyes. She looked at me, as though she had never wanted anything more than the chance to torture me; she was simply itching to give me a good thrashing.

When she said that, unknown to her and Rodolphus, Malfoy placed his hand firmly on my thigh. Shocked and uncomfortable, I tried to push down the small feeling of safety that touch gave me as I looked at Bellatrix practically salivating at the chance to torture. Despite the reassurance I felt, I did not want him to touch me, but not willing to make a scene, I just turned my head to look at him again. I had never seen him look so angry and possessive. I was unsure whether he put his hand on me to reassure me that he would not let his aunt hurt me or because it was a subconscious movement he made, as though his unyielding hold on my thigh could keep her from taking me anywhere.

"It is not your place to do anything of the sort Aunt," Malfoy said murderously.

Ha. That was rich. So he can hit me all he wants but no one else can. I am relieved that he will not let that crazy woman near me, but he was such a hypocrite for telling his aunt he would not allow her to hurt me despite the fact that he just had.

"What do you mean that it is not my place Draco? It most certainly is my place to torture those inferior to me when it is necessary," Bellatrix replied getting a little worked up herself.

Rodolphus spoke for the first time, cutting into their argument. "Just let it go Bella," he murmured quietly to his wife, who rolled her eyes at him and murmured that he was a killjoy and a pushover. However she did not say anything else on the matter and we sat in a strained silence because Malfoy was still livid at his Aunt's suggestions and Bellatrix was fuming too because she did not get what she wanted.

Malfoy still had his hand on my thigh, although not as firm. It was simply resting there comfortably and I tried to move around bit and cross my legs so he would get the point that I did not want him to touch me. He only made his grip on my leg a little tighter. I did not relent though and continued discreetly squirming around, until while glaring at him out of the corner of my eye, he gave up and took his hand off me in irritation that I would not settle down.

Feeling triumphant, I settled into my chair a little more and observed everyone throughout the room. They were all great friends who got along well and I felt a sudden pang of sadness, not knowing if I would ever see a friend ever again. Unless a few escaped, all of the people I had been in hiding with for years, people I had come to love like family, were all dead. I took some comfort in the fact that my parents were most likely still alive and living safely in Australia where I sent them after my sixth year at Hogwarts. Under Voldemorts' rule, the Death Eaters never were able to successfully infiltrate Australia which was one of the few countries that those of us still on the light side called 'safe zones'. Muggles and all witches and wizards who opposed Voldemort were only safe in a few countries in the world. These countries were Australia, Spain, Norway, Finland, Israel, and Japan. Everywhere else in the world was taken over by Voldemort. They were openly controlling the magical communities and covertly controlling the muggle communities. Once he brings the few unconquered countries into his empire, he will expose the magical community to the world, in order to instill fear in muggles and openly wreak havoc on muggles throughout the world. He is of course, already killing muggles by the thousands; they are just unaware that the deaths are caused by witches and wizards.

It is unlikely this goal of his will now become a reality considering his sharp decline in power, but who knew if Malfoy had similar plans. He was very secretive and I assumed that if anyone knew what he planned on doing with his power once he overthrew Voldemort, it would be Nott and Zabini.

So far, Malfoy had only split up Voldemort's existing regime, gathering a band of rebels who would fight for him to overthrow Voldemort. Voldemort's support system however was continuously weakening though, as Malfoy appealed to more and more people. I did not know how I felt about that. Voldemort was the bane of my existence; it is because of him people like me were forced to flee our homes to the safe zones or were forced into hiding. I thought that if it had to be one or the other, Malfoy would be preferable, but either way, it was a cruel dictatorship, and no matter what Malfoy said about his group of followers being different from Death Eaters, they were equally malicious and they had incredibly similar views.

Malfoy startled me out of my thoughts, telling me that we were now going to eat dinner, and as I looked around I could see everyone walking into the adjoining room. When I stood he offered me his arm, but I just turned my head away, shunning him, and started walking to the door everyone else was going through. I heard him huff angrily and he moved briskly to walk in front of me, fuming at being dismissed.


	5. Chapter 5

I only own the plot

Chapter 5

Malfoy and I were the last to walk through the door into a magnificent dinning room with a beautiful unlit fireplace and a mantel above it. The walls were a calming color; a mix of silver and blue. The wood floors were dark and appeared to be in mint condition. Everything I had seen so far in the house looked perfect; it was hard to believe that the Malfoy's have been living in it for generations.

Everyone was already seated at a long table and Malfoy walked behind the seats near the far wall of the room. He stopped at the two vacant seats in the center, pulled one out and looked pointedly at me where I was still standing in the doorway. I wanted to turn right around and leave, but I quickly walked over and sat down as he pushed the chair in behind me. On my left was Armand Toussaint, who was somewhat kind to me earlier, although he was laying the charm on pretty thick. Malfoy took the seat on my right and on his other side was Nott. Unfortunately, directly across from me was Bellatrix and on her left was her husband.

Everyone settled in and a few different conversations popped up around the table about neutral topics such as quiddich, vacations to Italy and the United States, and amusing stories from past dinner parties. It was strange to witness these people carrying on normal conversations. I always imagined they only spoke of their superiority and world domination. Everyone was visibly tense though, and a little afraid to be open with each other because of the Lestrange's presence. Who knew what they might overhear and repeat to Voldemort when they returned to him? Malfoy dictated conversation with the Lestrange's to be sure no touchy subjects would come up. I just kept my eyes on my plate, focused on eating the delicious food, impatient for when this night would be over. The only time I spoke was when Toussaint tried to strike up a conversation with me.

"So how do you know Malfoy?" Toussaint asked quietly as the house elves brought the main course into the room.

"Uh…we went to school together," I replied just as quietly, a little confused. He clearly did not know I was here as a prisoner. Had he not seen Malfoy hit me earlier? Then again, I would not be surprised if Malfoy treated the women he dated like dogs.

"Ah…so you were friends in school then?" he asked. I was certain no one else could hear our conversation and I was relieved he kept his voice low; maybe he could tell I did not want to talk with everyone.

"Hardly," I muttered in dark tones. He let out a low laugh. Thankfully the conversation ended there, as Adrian Pucey, who was sitting on his other side demanded his prediction of who would win the Quiddich World Cup this year. A few people were in agreement that Bulgaria would win this year, and I thought of Viktor, wondering if he still played. Since I had gone into hiding, I had not heard from him.

When that discussion slowly died out and turned to other topics, Toussaint turned towards me again.

"So who do you think will win the World Cup this year?" he asked me. Why was he speaking to me? At least he was still keeping his voice down.

"I don't follow Quiddich," I stated. Not that I could even if I wanted to, now that I'm being kept here, I thought to myself.

He laughed, "For some reason that doesn't really surprise me."

The corners of my mouth twitched to my chagrin. Hearing him laugh, even at my expense, made me want to smile in return.

"So you have never even played?" he asked.

"Only a couple times. I just don't like flying," I said turning to look at him for the first time since I sat down. His handsome face was smiling down at me and he looked sincerely interested in what I was saying. Surely he could be having a more interesting conversation with someone else. Once again, why was he talking to me?

"Afraid of heights then?" he questioned, "or just high speeds?"

"Neither actually." And instead of leaving it at that like I should have, I continued, "I've just never been good at it, and I never had the patience to get better."

"Maybe you just need a good teacher. I'm sure you could pick up on it quickly enough," he said, still smiling. Was he offering to teach me or something?

"Doubtful," I countered, "seeing as how no one can get me onto a broom, there's no way I can be taught."

"I'm sure you could be convinced somehow."

I smiled and let it go, not wanting the conversation to continue further. I was irritated with myself for enjoying talking with him.

When dessert was finally finished and everyone was becoming lethargic because of their full stomachs, Malfoy spoke up so everyone could hear him, cutting off all other conversations

"Okay everyone; it's time we got down to business."

He paused and everyone straightened up with seriousness and looked at him, except Crabbe, the only person with food still in front of him, who continued stuffing his face with pie. Malfoy shot a quick glance in his direction, pursed his lips in irritation and then began speaking.

"As you all have noticed, we have three important guests here tonight. My Aunt Bellatrix and Uncle Rodolphus, and our third guest is part of the reason they are here. Hermione Granger, who, as you all know, is being kept here as a prisoner," he said gesturing to me at the end.

"Malfoy, please excuse me," Toussaint broke in before Malfoy continued. He sounded a little flustered, causing his French accent to become more pronounced. "This woman here," he said gesturing to me, "is one third of the golden trio you were telling me about? The one you're holding prisoner?" He looked shocked.

"Yes. Forgive me Armand; I forgot you have not known her as long as the rest of us. I didn't think to point out earlier that she is in fact the prisoner I told you of this morning."

With that confirmation, Toussaint's face changed and it held a mixture of anger and shame. He was obviously ashamed he had been kind to me. He glared at me briefly and subtly resituated himself in his seat so he was sitting as far away from me as possible. He turned away from me, his face settling into a hard angry mask. I was slightly hurt; he acted as though it was my fault he had behaved nicely. However, I quickly told myself to get over it, telling myself I was once again being stupid. The same way I had wrongly believed Malfoy would not hurt me; I had foolishly thought that one of his followers would be kind to me. Was it really a surprise that he would immediately shun me once he discovered I was his leaders' prisoner? Not to mention the fact that I represent everything he hates in the world. I found my frustration rising and I desperately wanted to be anywhere but inside this room.

"Now Aunt," Malfoy continued, "You have seen my prisoner, Voldemort wanted proof I had captured her and now he can have it. He will have your word that you have seen her in the flesh. Now for your other purpose of visiting. What is it you wanted to discuss?" He was a good speaker; authoritative, without being overbearing or terrifying. I knew he could easily be both when he wanted to though.

"Now now, Draco, let's not be hasty. I have nothing to discuss with you…"

Malfoy looked irritated.

"You specifically said you had something of importance to discuss. What is it you wished to speak with me of?"

"I never said I wanted to speak with you, my nephew," Bellatrix said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.

"Then who do you wish to speak with?" Malfoy asked somewhat hesitantly, already knowing the answer.

"The mudblood of course," she said with a cold smile.

Malfoy was noticeably not keen on the idea but after briefly thinking about it, he nodded, giving her the okay to commence.

"May I speak to her in private?"

"Absolutely not," Malfoy said in a hard, icy voice and his hand moved slightly in my direction, as though he thought of putting his hand on me the way he did earlier, when his Aunt threatened me, but then he thought better of it, and his hands curled into hard fists.

She scowled but decided to just carry on and she asked, in a hard, demanding voice, "Where is the only member of your _golden trio_ that is still unaccounted for? Where is Ronald Weasley?"

"I don't know," I said, schooling my features and guarding my thoughts so I would not give anything away.

"Don't lie to me mudblood," she seethed, "Where is he?" she leered at me across the table.

"I don't know," I said again in a hard voice.

"I'm only going to ask you this one more time. If you don't tell me I will put you through so much pain that you will be on your knees begging for death. _Where is Weasley?_" she hissed in a low, deadly voice and a manic glint in her eyes. She was easily the scariest woman I had ever met, but I could not break down.

"I don't know," I gritted out through my teeth. My hands curled into fists on my lap, I was getting angrier by the second. I felt as though I would break down at any moment.

Bellatrix's voice raised twelve notches. "You little mudblood, I –"

"She says she doesn't know Aunt, so obviously, she must not know. Let it go," Malfoy cut in before she could finish threatening me. He sounded a little pleased his Aunt did not get the information she wanted.

Bellatrix was incensed. "But she is obviously lying! How can you –"

"I said let it go," Malfoy said, all pleasantness gone from his tone.

She huffed angrily and stood up. Everyone around the table braced themselves, some reaching for their wands in case she attacked.

"This place is sickening! A mudblood joining her superiors for dinner, dressed up like everyone else, nothing distinguishing her from the rest! She belongs on the floor in rags! And here you are Nephew, taking her word! She should be punished for lying to her superiors! What is the world coming to?! I shall not remain in this place where my Lord is not respected and Mudbloods are treated like my equal! Come Rodolphus!"

She stalked from the room, Rodolphus following like a dog, and we heard two cracks of Apparition.

There was a brief silence, everyone taking in the recent outburst of anger, and then everyone began murmuring amongst themselves.

"Lunatic," Toussaint mumbled.

"Completely mad. Thank goodness she's not on our side, or we'd have to deal with that on a regular basis," Pansy Parkinson murmured to Millicent Bulstrode, who nodded in agreement. Parkinson then looked up at me with a piercing stare.

"Do you really not know where Weasley is?" Everyone turned their attention to me, waiting for my answer.

I wanted to cry. Everything that happened this evening since Malfoy collected me from my room had really grated on my nerves. The last thing I needed now was to break down because these people kept bringing up the whereabouts of my best friend.

I controlled myself, looked her square in the eye, and answered in an even voice, "I honestly do not know where he his."

She narrowed her eyes but then turned her question to Malfoy.

"Do you have any idea where he is Draco?"

"No idea," Malfoy admitted shrugging his shoulders, "but I hardly think it's important. He never did much anyways. He was a decent fighter for the Order, but he was little more than Harry Potter's sidekick."

I kept myself outwardly neutral to what he said, but inside I was fuming. Just Harry's sidekick? I was relieved he felt that way, because it meant I did not have to worry about Malfoy making efforts to find him and kill him, not that I could do anything stop it anyway, but Ron was so much more than a _sidekick_. After Harry was killed and Voldemort took over, he was more or less the leader of the resistance. He was brilliant. Apparently our efforts to keep that secret had paid off since Malfoy did not know just how valuable Ron actually is. After a while though, he wanted to leave England; he thought we would be more effective if we were not in the center of Voldemort's régime. I disagreed; I wanted to stay and fight the way we had been, even if it meant more danger. We argued about it for almost a year before we finally broke off our relationship and he left with three other people. A few months after he left, I received a postcard from Spain. It did not say anything, but I knew it was him letting me know that he did in fact make it out of the country alive. I have heard nothing from him in two years, and no news of him has leaked into England. Whether he was still there or not I do not know. I do not even know if he is still alive for that matter.

I wish I had listened to Ron back then. He was right about leaving. Those of us who remained actually did not accomplish much and now I am here, in Malfoy's Mansion being held captive because of my stubbornness. At the time, I felt that leaving England would be like giving up. I let my emotions get in the way, instead of seeing the reality of our situation the way Ron did.

"Please excuse me for a moment," Malfoy said, addressing his guests, interrupting my thoughts. "I must return Granger to her room. Feel free to help yourself to more food if you wish or return to the adjoining room if you wish. I'll return momentarily."

Toussaint stiffened and scowled harder and I stood up to leave, as though being near me was unbearable. I was annoyed with myself for enjoying our conversation earlier, but I had more important things to think about that Toussaint.

Malfoy took hold of my arm by the elbow and escorted me from the room. Once we were alone, I was immediately reminded of my anger towards him for hitting me earlier, and I yanked my arm away from and raised my hand to touch my face where he hit me earlier.

He chuckled darkly. "Don't worry Granger. It doesn't look like it will bruise too badly."

I huffed angrily and turned to stalk down a long hallway.

"Woah, no you don't Granger. Your room is the other way. And besides, I can't let you go by yourself so you can figure out your way around my house." He took my hand in a vice-like grip and there was nothing I could do to shake him off. I was practically dragged to my room in the same long, round about way we went earlier.

"What were you and Armand talking about at dinner?" he asked at one point breaking the silence.

"Nothing of importance," I said icily.

My answer and my attitude aggravated him, so he picked up the pace to my room.

When we finally arrived, he let go of my hand, turned to me and opened his mouth to say something. Instead of staying to listen, I immediately entered my room and slammed the door shut behind me. I half expected him to come barging right in to tell me off, but after a moment, I sighed in relief when I heard him making his way down the hall, back to his gathering of minions. I had a strange urge to cry as I quickly got out of my dress so I could go to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

I only own the plot.

Chapter 6

As I came around from my deep sleep, I rolled over so I could see the clock on the nightstand. Instead of seeing a clock when I opened my eyes, I saw Malfoy's face looming slightly above mine. I let out a small yelp and scurried backwards in the bed to get away from him. He stood from his crouched position on the floor and laughed at my distress. Why did he have to do that?

"Rise and shine Granger. You need to hurry up and get dressed. We've got a meeting to go to," he said as he walked to the wardrobe to pull out clothes for me to wear. When he opened it, I saw it had been filled with clothes while I was asleep.

"I refuse to go to another gathering of your followers Malfoy," I said as I sat up on the bed.

"You are in no place to refuse anything I request Granger. Besides, it's not really even a formal meeting. You are just coming with me to talk to a few of my friends," he said in pleasant tones as he laid a blue and white sundress at the foot of my bed. He looked at me with a very fake smile and I scowled in return.

"Why do I _have_ to go talk with your friends? Do you think I have some sort of valuable information that you can use in your plans to gain power? I will not help you, no matter what you ask of me. I would rather die," I told him my tone getting harsher as I continued.

"If you don't help me Granger, you are essentially helping Voldemort. Do you want Voldemort to remain in control?" he asked with rising irritation.

"Of course I don't want Voldemort to remain in control!" I snarled. "But I sure as hell don't want you reigning as dictator supreme either! Why should I help you? You're no different from him!"

He turned livid and he marched to the top of the bed and hovered over me menacingly.

"We are not the same! You do not know of what you speak! I will not stand for this disrespect from you Granger! I have forgiven you for your behavior last night, but don't count on me being as generous in the future!"

_He_ had for given _me_?

"What do you mean you have forgiven _me_? _You_ dragged _me_ to your gathering of crazed minions last night and then proceeded to treat me like I was your property and _I_ am forgiven? You must be crazy!"

He laughed without a trace of humor, and ran his hand from temple to jaw on the right side of my face, "But Granger, you are my property now," he said with a sickly sweet smile. I stiffened and tore my face away from his touch.

He backed away from me as he spoke, "And you will help me Granger. You know you must if you truly want to destroy Voldemort. I'll be back in twenty and you better be ready."

He swept out of the room before I could say anything else. I remained in the bed, shaking with rage. Angry thoughts swirled around in my head.

I am his _property_? I am nobody's property! And I would never help him accomplish his goal. Why should I help him replace one cruel tyrant with another equally as cruel; especially when that new tyrant was _him_?

As I went around the room getting dressed and looking for shoes, my thoughts took a different turn.

_Maybe if I did help…_

No, don't even go there. There's no way I'm helping.

_But perhaps a deal could be made…_

I couldn't make a deal with Malfoy

_He'll find some way of forcing me. I might as well do it and try to get something out of it…freedom perhaps._

He would never agree to it though but…

_When I'm free, I can work towards defeating Malfoy. Once we've destroyed Voldemort, it will be much more feasible, without having to worry about two different groups we need to fight against the way we have been._

But he would never agree to grant me freedom.

_If he doesn't, I'll just come up with some other way to get out. Maybe if I find the information Malfoy needs to destroy Voldemort, I can think of a plan that will get them both killed in the process. Kill two birds with one stone._

Excellent.

Once I had my thoughts straightened out, I calmed down. I was sitting on the bed composed and ready to go when Malfoy came back. He came in, gave me a once over to be sure I looked acceptable and said, "Let's go." I followed quietly until we reached a room on the next floor down.

The room was a large study, with dark walls and plush, forest green carpet. It was not a small room, but it felt cozy. Upon entering, I heard a male voice say, "Finally Draco took you long enough. I –," and he broke off abruptly when he noticed me behind him. It was Zabini. He was sitting around a rectangular coffee table in the corner of the room with Nott and Toussaint. All of them look a little shocked to see me; Toussaint soon looked irritated though.

"Yeah sorry about that," Malfoy said sounding more at ease than I've ever heard him. "She puts up a fuss about _everything_," he said jerking his thumb in my direction. He made his way over to where they were sitting and I followed hesitantly.

"Why did you bring her?" Zabini asked, slightly confused.

"She needs to be a part of this discussion," he said as he collapsed into the only remaining seat, leaving me standing awkwardly. Zabini still looked faintly puzzled, Nott looked deep in thought, but it was difficult to tell what he was thinking. He was clearly the most serious of the four. Toussaint's mouth was set in a hard, thin line, probably out of irritation that I was present. I wondered why he was here too; as far as I knew, he was not very close with Malfoy, or at least as close as Nott and Zabini were anyway.

"So I take it you're finally going to tell us your reason for keeping her here," Nott said to Malfoy.

"Of course."

"Why couldn't you tell us earlier? Why have you been avoiding Zabini and me?" At this, Zabini looked at Malfoy with an equally serious gaze.

Malfoy shrugged. "I figured I'd tell you at the same time I told her. Then I don't need to repeat myself and she can be present while we begin planning."

Nott pursed his lips in slight irritation. "You might have at least told us that. Your reasoning hardly warrants your avoiding us."

"I needed to keep it as secret as possible until after my Aunt had already visited. I knew she would be looking out for any type of scheme we had brewing. She would have been even more suspicious with Granger present. Not that I doubt your skills at hiding your thoughts, but I figured it best to keep that secret to myself until she left. Smaller chance she would pick up on anything."

"Alright then," Zabini said accepting the explanation.

Nott still looked a little peeved.

Malfoy brought the attention of the room onto me, "Why are you just standing there Granger?"

"There are no more chairs Malfoy."

He smirked and pat his left leg.

I scowled at him. "I'll stand thanks."

He laughed at me and Nott and Zabini smirked. Even Toussaint's mouth twitched I amusement.

"Come on Granger, you look like you're still tired. I can't have you collapsing over there. Now come and sit down."

"I'd really rather stand."

"Well perhaps you'd rather sit on Blaise's lap instead," he said in good humor as Zabini waggled his eyebrows at me.

"Come on Granger, I'll make it comfortable for you. You'll never want to get up." He and Malfoy burst out in laughter. If it was anyone else I too would have laughed, but instead I just pursed my lips and glared. Such imbeciles.

At that point Nott conjured up a chair for me to sit in on the only vacant side of the table.

"Nott you are such a killjoy," Malfoy complained.

"I'm aware," Nott replied unperturbed by Malfoy's comment.

Across from me were Malfoy and Zabini. To my right, at one end of the rectangular coffee table was Nott, and at the other end, on my left was Toussaint.

"Toussaint you seem really quiet today. Is something bothering you?" Malfoy questioned, sounding genuinely concerned.

Toussaint's face immediately cleared, "No of course not Malfoy. I am a little confused though, as to why I am being included in this meeting."

Malfoy gave him a friendly smile. "Well, I intend to let you in on the details of this plan. I may not have known you as long as I've known Theo and Blaise, but you've proved to be smart, trustworthy, and reliable. I'm going to need more than just Blaise and Theo to help me at this point, so I've decided to ask you for more help."

Toussaint looked pleased. "Thank you Malfoy."

Malfoy smiled in return, but continued in a serious tone. "You know this brings more responsibility though. You will be staying here in my home more than you'll be in your won home. It is convenient you do not have a family of your own. You cannot be as open with everyone else like before. There are secrets that must be kept that are a matter of life or death. Your allegiance must be completely with not only me, but with Theo, Blaise, and even Granger now. Are you up to it?"

Toussaint straightened up and gave a terse not of certainty. "I am up to the challenge. I will not let you down."

"You will stick with us no matter what? No matter what mission I give, you will follow through?"

"You have my word." Sincerity rang though every word and gesture. Malfoy smiled and gave one short nod of acceptance, and then turned his eyes on me.

"Now I must ask the same of you Granger. You may hate me and everyone else in this room, but you must see the necessity of joining us to fight Voldemort."

"I don't _need_ to join you to fight Voldemort," I countered.

"If you want to resist him effectively you must. Your pathetic underground resistance does not have the capabilities to put up a strong fight, you know this. How much did you and your friends actually accomplish while you were living in hiding like rats?"

I did not verify that with an answer, because he was right and I did not like to admit that. He took my silence as a confirmation of his words.

"Just as I thought; nothing. Now I know you want him destroyed as much as I do…as much as we do," he said gesturing to Zabini, Nott, and Toussaint. "Are you willing to put aside your hatred towards us, the same way we are putting aside our hatred of you, and work with us so we can accomplish this?" He leaned forward in his seat, his eyes looking intently into mine. I looked down and stared at the table in front of me so I could mull over everything he said without him reading my thoughts.

He was right of course. While I was not thrilled by the idea of Malfoy usurping Voldemort as ruler, I truly wanted Voldemort gone, and working with Malfoy & Co. was worth it. I pushed my own plotting from earlier to the back of my mind; I would think through that later, when I was by myself and when I had more information. I knew I could be a great asset too; I knew things about Voldemort from Harry that not even Malfoy would know.

I thought of Bellatrix Lestrange and how wonderful it would be to see her fall with her master.

I had made up my mind. I knew I was making the right decision.

I raised my eyes and looked into Malfoy's grey eyes. I kept all doubt from my mind as I nodded. "I agree to help you destroy Voldemort. But, I have to ask, why do you need me to join you? Surely you could be just as effective without me?"

"I'll get to that later. Now are you really committed to this?"

"Yes," I said firmly.

Malfoy gazed into my eyes for a long time, his eyes searching and…were they hopeful too? Was he really hopeful that I would agree to help? When he found the assurance I was truly committed, he gave me a small smile and sat back in his chair.

I suddenly felt the dizzying thrill of knowing I was about to begin something challenging and important.

"Well Granger, welcome to the…uh…team," Zabini said breaking the silence. He gave me a small smile which I returned. Nott laughed. "You're such a sap Zabini."

Zabini leaned out of his chair and punch Nott in the arm. I smiled at the exchange; I was reminded of Ron and Harry.

"Alright so here's how we're going to go about this," Malfoy said before everyone lost focus. "Granger, you are still going to appear as my prisoner to everyone outside this group. Not only because I want to keep this secret, but I can't really have people thinking I've become accepting of Mudbloods, can I?" he said chuckling to himself. I rolled my eyes. At least my standing with him hadn't really changed.

"I will give you more freedom though, as long as there are no visitors here, aside from Armand, Blaise, and Theo. You will be able to walk though any part of the house and grounds outside if you wish. You cannot, however, leave my property unless you are with one of us." He then addressed Nott, Toussaint, and Zabini.

"As far as you three know, she is still being held captive, under the highest restraint. Once of us will have to remain here at all times so we can make sure that if anyone shows up unexpectedly, and Granger is out and about, she can be warned." All three of them nodded in understanding, but I had a question.

"Can I have my wand back?"

All of them gave me skeptical glances. Perhaps it was too soon to ask and I went about it the wrong way.

"Well surely you agree that I will be able to help more if I have my wand?" I asked. They still looked suspicious.

"Yes, I suppose that makes sense," Malfoy agreed, "but, I cannot return your wand to you yet. I need to be sure you really can be trusted. You seem committed now, but once you prove your allegiance, I will give it back."

I huffed sulkily.

"Don't worry Granger," Malfoy said in an almost consoling voice, "You'll get it back soon enough."

At that moment, a brown and white owl flew through the open window on the other side of the room. It landed on the arm of Malfoy's chair, dropped the letter in his lap, and then flew right back out the window.

Malfoy quickly unfolded the parchment and read the letter, his brow furrowing as he continued. When he finished he stood up.

"Blaise, Theo; I need you to come with me. There's some issue with the offices I've set up in Germany. Someone attacked there, but they are unsure of whether it was by Voldemorts orders or if it was a resistance group. Why would they send me and owl? Why didn't someone come here immediately?" he said, his irritation rising. "Armand, I need you to stay here until we get back. I don't know when that will be though. I'm not expecting visitors, so Granger, feel free to acquaint yourself with the rest of the house if you wish. We'll carry on this discussion when we get back."

With that, all three of them Apparated; leaving Toussaint and me alone.

He made to walk out of the room but I wanted to talk to him first.

"Toussaint?" I said hesitantly.

"Yes?" he said as he slowly turned around. His face held no emotion; I had no clue what he was thinking.

"Look, I cant tell you are angry with me for some reason, but can we agree to be civil with one another since we are going to be working together now?"

His expression never wavered; he only said, "Yes, that would probably be best," and he walked briskly out of the room. I could not fathom why he would still be angry with me, but I did not want to dwell on it, so I left the room through a different door, and began my excursion of Malfoy Manor.


	7. Chapter 7

I only own the plot.

Chapter 7

Malfoy Manor is filled with history both beautiful and horrifying. I spent my day exploring the mansion and its' surrounding grounds. I began to learn my way through the halls, from the cold, medieval dungeons in the bowels of the mansion, to every cozy study, and each beautiful room in the main part of the house. However, there was one wing I could not enter. My hand was burned terribly when I tried to turn the brass knob. That burn fueled my curiosity of what Malfoy was hiding on the other side, but without a wand, there was no way I could attempt to open the door. Following my journey through the house, I walked the extravagant grounds which were particularly beautiful. There are gardens and a small pond, sprawling open land beyond – until forests spring into view, just within eyeshot. It was calm and peaceful outside in the late summer atmosphere, and I reveled in the warmth, which would unfortunately turn to cold as fall comes around soon. I remained outside well into the evening.

When I finally retired to the house as dusk settled in, I made my way to the grand library that I discovered, which is in the room adjacent to the study that the meeting was held in earlier today. The library is massive and I was jealous of all the books he has, many of which are centuries old. When I entered the library, I saw Toussaint sitting on a small couch against the far wall. I had not forgotten about him, but I was surprised to see him here.

He heard the door open and he looked up from his book. To my surprise, I did not receive a scowl or a glare, but a small smile. I hesitantly walked further into the room and smiled back.

"So what do you think of Malfoy Manor?" Toussaint asked pleasantly.

"It's unbelievable. If I was unaware of the son of a bitch who owns it, I might actually want to stay," I said walking over to the couch he was sitting on.

Toussaint smiled in response and pat his hand on the vacant seat next to him. I settled in next to him on the couch as he placed the book he was reading on the brown coffee table in front of us. It was very tattered and there was no visible title. It was obviously very old and I was curious of its contents.

As he settled back into the couch, he said, "I want to apologize for being a complete ass to you."

This was surprising, but certainly not unwelcome.

"Wow, I'm surprised that you are being so forward. I accept your apology, but why though?" I asked.

"Why was I an ass or why am I apologizing?"

"Well…both."

He sighed and said, "Well I suppose I was an ass because I was attracted to you, and when I found out you are a mudblood I was ashamed of myself. But I have been thinking all day and I realized that you are right. If we are going to be working together, we must get along."

I gave a short laugh, not allowing myself to be hurt by the words of such an arrogant and ignorant man.

"Well you sure know how to complement a woman."

He made a small smile and had the courtesy to look a little guilty before he continued on.

"But it is more than that," he said continuing on.

"Oh, really? What other brilliant insight have you had today?" I asked rather sarcastically.

"Well, I think you need a friend," he said seriously.

I was confused. "You think I need a friend? You, one of my enemies, think that you can be a good friend for me?"

"We are not enemies for the time being Granger. Both of us are working for Malfoy – together. And yes, you do need a friend. Nott and Zabini will be friendly towards you for now, but only because Malfoy is. If, or should I say when, he decides he is finished with you, Nott and Zabini will turn on you too. Their first allegiance is with Malfoy no matter what."

"And yours is not? I am surprised he trusts you so much then." I said incredulously.

"I am loyal to Malfoy, but I am not bound to him the way Nott and Zabini are. I am no more that a loyal follower, whereas Nott and Zabini are his most trusted, and only friends. While Malfoy is no doubt the leader, the three of them work as a team. I will never betray or desert him but I can and will make alliances, or in this case, friendships of my own."

"You don't have a problem being friends with a _mudblood_?" I asked sardonically.

He shrugged. "If Malfoy can look past it, then I can look past it."

I was silent for a bit, still a little unsure of his intentions.

"So you want to be my friend? Is this out of pity or something?"

He shrugged. "No, not pity so much, but I do think that since you are helping us achieve our goals, you deserve to have a real friend."

"You can't just suddenly decide to be friends with someone, Toussaint. It takes time and trust to make a real friendship work and I have an innate distrust towards any of Malfoy's followers, so you will have to forgive me for not believing you, or at least thinking that you have some ulterior motive."

He smiled and gave me a serious, penetrating look. "Just trust me Granger."

Not giving in, I replied, "Make me trust you."

He smiled and said, "I love a challenge Granger."

I was mildly amused, but slightly put off too, so I rolled my eyes and stood up.

He stood up as well and laughed. "Do not worry Granger; I am not trying to make a pass at you. I am in fact betrothed to a woman back in France…have been since I was a child."

I gave him a strange look. "Then why did it matter at all that you found me attractive? If you weren't going to act on anything why did it matter?"

He laughed. "Because I do not like the woman I am betrothed to…well I do not think so at least. I have not seen her since we were sixteen and she was hideous and dull. So if you were not a mudblood, I would have pursued you."

I rolled my eyes. "You are unbelievable. You shouldn't do that. Not when you are betrothed to another woman."

"It is no big deal really. Everyone has affairs both before and after they are married. That is just the way it is. No one would be happy if they had to stick with their betrothed for their entire life. Of course it is not encouraged, but everyone cheats anyways," he said still smiling.

"Then why do you people continue these arranged marriages? It's completely asinine to have to marry someone you don't want."

"Money, Granger. That is the main reason."

"But aren't most of you old pureblood families wealthy enough already. Surely you could just be with whomever you wanted?"

"Yes that is true, but it is also about alliances between families. It is very complicated actually," he said.

"Well, I'm really not too interested in figuring it out to be honest. I think the whole thing is absurd. You just keep your pureblood marriage ways to yourself."

"Oh believe me, I will. I should not even be conversing with riff-raff like you…much less discussing marriage," he said laughing.

I laughed too, realizing he really was joking. "Well I'm going to find something to eat. You are welcome to join me if you'd like."

"Of course. I am very hungry," he said, still smiling.

We walked through Malfoy Manor in silence most of the way to the kitchens. I was still unable to walk through the manor without being slightly awed by the splendor of it. Toussaint seemed to pick up on my intense admiration.

"This estate is very much like my own family estate back in France. Mine is not so beautiful though. Everyone who visits the Malfoy Estate is struck by its grandeur, no matter how magnificent their own estate is."

For the first time I was struck by how good his English is. He must have been speaking it for nearly his whole life; it seemed to come naturally to him.

"Where did you grow up?" I asked turning my attention from the estate to him.

"A few miles south of Nantes. Our estate is sort of alone out in the country, much like this one. It has been in my family since the fifteenth century."

"Oh wow…and do you still live there?" I asked.

"No, after my father died three years ago, the house was passed onto my older brother. I live here in England most of the time now, but I also have a home in France."

"I'm sorry…about your father I mean."

He smiled down at me. "It is okay…he was very ill."

I cleared my throat awkwardly, wanting to get off the subject of parents; not wanting to discuss the whereabouts of mine.

We entered the kitchen then however, and the conversation was dropped as he asked what I wanted to eat.

"I don't even know…I mean what are my options?"

"Anything. I can tell the house elves to make us anything."

"Oh really that is unnecessary," I said waving my hand as though I was brushing the idea aside. "I can cook myself."

"No, only the house elves can do the cooking. I daresay they will be offended if you do not allow them to do it."

"How do you know how they would feel if I cooked? This isn't your house and they aren't your house elves."

"They are all the same. Any house elf would be upset if you did not want it to cook for you," he replied as if this was common knowledge.

"They aren't all the same," I said in a condescending tone; as though any dunderhead could realize this. "They all have unique personalities."

He gave me a strange look, as though I had completely lost my mind.

"Are you some sort of house elf activist?" he asked trying to control his amusement.

"I don't believe in slavery, or the raping of anyone's rights, just because they appear or are believed to be inferior," I responded coldly. He was mocking me just like everyone else does when they hear my views of house elves. I really should not get so offended anymore when people do not see this issue my way.

He just rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath, but he dropped the whole discussion.

"Does shepherd's pie sound good to you?" he asked.

"Yes, that's fine," I responded tersely.

He snapped his fingers and one of Malfoy's many house elves appeared before him.

"What can I do for you sir?" the house elf squeaked in anticipation.

"Make us a shepherd's pie. We will be in the dinning room when it is ready."

"Yes, Sir. Right away, Sir." And the house elf immediately busied himself with making our dinner.

Toussaint then led the way to the dinning room. We sat on the some end of the table, across from each other in a strained silence, until I became frustrated enough to begin speaking.

"You are French, but how is it that you know English so well? It seems to come naturally to you," I asked.

He smiled apparently relieved that the awkward, seemingly eternal silence was broken.

"Well my mother was English. So I have grown up surrounded by both languages. I even lived here in England for a few years when I was very young, but most of my life has been spent in France."

"And do you like it there?"

"Yes, I love it. I have lived in England for the past two years, but I always consider France my home."

Our food appeared in front of us at this point and I immediately dug in, I was extremely hungry. We sat in silence for awhile again as we enjoyed our food.

"I've been wondering," I began as I took a small break in eating, "how was it that you didn't know I was Malfoy's prisoner? Weren't you there for the raid?"

"No, I was in France with my older brother, Leon, until yesterday morning."

"Malfoy doesn't mind when people miss such important missions?" I asked slightly surprised.

"It all depends on who it is and the reason," he said. "He is more lenient with some than he is with others. And he understood the importance of visiting with Leon."

"Why is that?" I asked, not really sure if I would get an answer.

"The visit was to discuss my younger brother, Mathis, who joined Voldemort's forces when he was seventeen, much to my and Leon's dismay, but Leon recently heard from Mathis for the first time in two years. And that is all I can tell you," he said with finality in his tone.

"Does Leon support Malfoy as well then?" I asked as I scooped up another piece of shepherd's pie.

"He supports Malfoy, but is not one of his followers. He does not work for Malfoy, or not yet at least. He does not want to choose sides since he holds an important office in the French Ministry, but when the time for war comes however, he will be forced to choose sides, and it will be Malfoy's."

War. The realization that I would fight through another tough battle in the near future was depressing. So many lives had been lost in the last war that took place only four years ago, and countless more will be lost in the next great battle. The only way to ensure that as few lives as possible would be lost was to make sure that Malfoy's odds of winning were as great as possible, and I resolved that I would do anything to help. I cringed inwardly at the thought of Malfoy being the supreme ruler of the world, but at this point, he was the lesser of two evils.

We finished our meal in silence and I told him I would like to return to my room.

"But it is only nine thirty," he said looking at his watch.

"Yes, but I am tired and I would actually like to be by myself right now," I said, standing up from the table. The past three days had been exhausting. First I was captured, then I had to suffer dinner with Malfoy and his minions, and today I learn that I am going to be helping Malfoy with whatever plan it is he cooked up to achieve ultimate power. I just wanted to be by myself and get a good night's sleep before having to deal with anything else about to come my way. Plus, the burn on my hand that I had been ignoring all day, was now throbbing terribly.

"I understand. I'll walk to your room with you," he said and we walked through the door and on up to my room.

When we came upon my room, we saw someone coming down the hall from the other direction. It was dark, so we could not tell who it was until he spoke.

"Granger, what are you thinking?" the voice of an amused Malfoy came floating down the hall. "You know that I am the only one allowed in your room. I happen to know that Toussaint has better taste than the likes of you however. Better luck next time." He stopped in front of us as he finished speaking. He looked a little disheveled and his forearm was bleeding.

I just scowled at him but Toussaint laughed.

"Everything okay in Germany?" he asked Malfoy.

"Yes of course," he said with some annoyance. "The owl I received was completely exaggerated. There was a small raid earlier, but nothing was stolen or destroyed. Any damages were repaired by the time we got there. They were actually surprised I showed up, but the letter sounded as though a war had started."

"Then why is your arm bleeding Malfoy?" I questioned.

"Aw, Granger I didn't know you cared for my well being," he said with mock sincerity and I glared at him. "But to answer your question, Blaise, Theo, and I stayed in Germany for awhile anyways, to make sure everything was in fact back in working order; and then we went out for a bite to eat. As we left the restaurant, and we were making our way back to the apparition point, we were attacked by a small number of resistance fighters. We took care of them though."

I was about to criticize him, but bit my tongue. He saw my attempted outburst however and said, "Don't worry Granger; it wasn't anyone you know," as though that made it better.

"That's not the point, Malfoy," I said.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Just sit back and let them attack me?" he asked sarcastically.

That would have been nice, but he was right, so I did not say anything else.

"Toussaint, you are free to go home if you'd like, or you can take a guest room here. Unfortunately, Blaise and Theo are staying in Germany for the next few days to be sure that another raid doesn't happen again. They can also be counted on to tell me when something is occurring as soon as possible, not by some damn owl," he said. The last comment was muttered more to himself out of continued annoyance at not being informed in a timely fashion.

"I'm assuming that means we will not be discussing your plan until they return?" Toussaint said.

"No we won't. We cannot discuss it without them," Malfoy verified.

"In that case, I will return to my own home. Owl me when they return," Toussaint said.

"Will do," Malfoy said, "I'll talk to you in a few days."

"Goodnight, Granger," Toussaint said with a wink and then apparated.

Without a word to Malfoy I turned to open the bedroom door, but as I began to close it, he pushed back. "Not again, Granger," he said and forced his way into the room and closed the door behind him. He walked around me and threw himself down on my bed, with his legs crossed at the ankles and his arms behind his head.

"Let's chat, Granger," he said in pleasant tones and I could not discern whether his tone was sincere or mocking.

I stood in the center of the room with my arms folded and said, "I don't want to _chat _with you."

"Well that's too bad," he said.

I sighed exasperatedly and walked over to the wardrobe to find pajamas to change into. He was in a surprisingly pleasant mood tonight, I should not ruin it by being rude to him, but he does not deserve any kindness from me. The pajamas he provided me with were all the same style of silky material with spaghetti straps and fell to the middle of my thigh. I grabbed the one on top, which was a deep purple and then turned around.

"Well, what do you want then?" and I was startled almost to death to see that he was standing directly behind me. I dropped the pajamas and put my hands up as I backed away from him.

"What on earth are you doing Malfoy?" I practically shouted at him.

He grabbed my burned right hand and said, "You tried to enter the eastern wing of my house didn't you?" He was actually mildly amused.

"Yes," I said. There was really no point in denying it.

"Well I wouldn't try it again. Only people with my explicit permission can enter that wing," he advised as he withdrew his wand from his pocket.

"What are you doing?" I said as I tried to pull my hand out of his grasp.

"Healing you," he said as his grip tightened. "You think I would hurt you?"

"I know you would hurt me," I responded.

He narrowed his eyes at me before looking down at my hand and murmuring an incantation.

"You're lucky I noticed you burned yourself. The charm I placed on the door causes the burn to become progressively worse the longer it remains unhealed. You would have been in agony by tomorrow morning," he said still holding my now healed hand in his. He caught my eyes with his. "And I won't hurt you. I swear I will not hit you or curse you ever again," he said, his eyes boring into mine. It was so easy to believe him, but he sounded sincere before too.

"Yeah, I've heard that before," I said rolling my eyes, breaking eye contact. I would not succumb to his false words so easily this time.

He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. "I sincerely mean it," he said quietly.

"And what happens when I choose to disobey your orders again? You will react the same way as before." I said with some edge to my voice.

"You shouldn't defy me," he said as though my defiance made his actions justifiable.

"So you _will_ react the same way. You shouldn't try telling me otherwise," I replied.

"That's not what I said," he ground out through gritted teeth as his grip on my chin and my hand tightened.

"But it's what you meant," I countered.

His irritation was rapidly rising. "Don't assume you know everything, Granger. I sincerely mean it when I tell you I will not hurt you. I swear I won't, no matter the circumstances." He let go of my chin and stepped even closer to me, so our bodies were almost touching. Our still connected hands were between us, only now my hand was being held against his broad chest, where I could feel his heart pounding away. He leaned down to so his face was right next to mine, and his scent was overwhelming; it was addicting.

He whispered in my ear, "I'll just have to find other ways to discipline you."

And he stepped away from me, dropping my hand. He looked down at me with a smirk on his face before he swept out of the room and into his bedroom.

I shook as I changed into the silk pajamas and got into bed. Sleep could not come fast enough.


	8. Chapter 8

I only own the plot.

Chapter 8

I was locked in my chambers for the next two days. I only saw Malfoy once, when he briefly entered my room to tell me that Nott and Zabini would be staying in Germany for the duration of the week and that he was expecting visitors everyday, so I couldn't leave my room. The visit lasted hardly a minute and he was out the door, leaving me to what felt like an eternal seclusion. Barely half of the first day of my isolation had passed before I realized that I had taken whatever freedom I had in this house lately for granted. Tuesday passed slowly into Wednesday, and then Thursday dragged on even slower. Every minute of Friday felt like an hour. A few times a day one of Malfoy's house elves would show up bringing me food or to ask if there was anything I needed; and every time I answered that nothing was necessary. Despite my restlessness, I really had all I needed to keep myself occupied. There was one massive bookshelf in a corner of the room with a broad selection of books. I was well into the fourth book when Malfoy finally summoned me on Saturday evening.

He entered my room, visibly agitated. "Come to the study with me now," and he swept out of the room as fast as he came in. I laid my book down on the bed and walked out into the hall. He was already a good distance down the hall when I left the room and he turned around to make sure I was following.

"Hurry Granger, we have a limited amount of time for this meeting."

"Why is that?" I asked picking up my pace.

"Don't worry about it," was all he said as he stalked down the hall faster.

When we arrived at the same study we were in last time, Nott, Toussaint, and Zabini were waiting, standing in the center of the room. They turned towards the door as we entered.

"Draco, why are we doing this now? People will be here in less than an hour and you know Pansy is always early," Nott asked.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Because either we discuss this now or we wait until I have free time next week and I don't want to wait until next week. This way, once Granger knows what I want from her she can do something productive while she's in her room everyday."

The way he said this made it sound as though I had locked myself away and it was my fault I hardly did anything all day. They all gathered around the coffee table and I was left standing there, the only one without a chair just like last time.

"I don't even understand why you have these stupid parties every weekend Draco. They aren't exactly the most productive way to spend time," Nott commented.

"How many times do I have to explain this?" said an exasperated Malfoy. "Networking, Theo. It's a better way to network than to have formal meetings every week. I can gauge who has strong connections whom and decide who can be trusted with certain information. Besides, I'd rather see if I can trust new members in a more relaxed environment before I start including them in the monthly meetings."

"Not to mention they are far more enjoyable than those stuffy meetings. So much plotting; it's exhausting," Zabini added.

Nott rolled his eyes. "That's because the only thing you enjoy is partying."

"And women," Malfoy added smirking.

Zabini smiled. "Of course the women too. And speaking of women; Toussaint, I've heard that your fiancé will be gracing us with her presence tonight."

Toussaint looked a little annoyed at being reminded. "Yeah, don't get your hopes up though. She is one of the most hideous girls I have ever seen."

"That's horrible, man. How are you going to bear marriage?" Zabini asked, as though the only important aspect of a future spouse is beauty.

"The same way everyone else does," Toussaint said and glanced at me and smirked, knowing my opinion on infidelity and arranged marriages.

Draco caught his glance in my direction and looked confused for an instant but then seemed to remember why they were there and decided it was time to get down to business.

"Okay, we really need to get through this now," Malfoy said authoritatively as he conjured a chair for me to sit in. Everyone got serious and sat up to listen instantly.

"Now I've been researching this for awhile now, but it's so hard to find any information that I haven't discovered much beyond the basics. But it's the only thing I've come across that I'm certain Voldemort knows nothing about. How much do you know of The Lady of the Lake, Granger?"

"Uh…not much," I said, sounding useless and unintelligent. "Isn't she just a legend?"

"Not in the least Granger. She was a real woman." He sounded pleased to know something I didn't.

"You mean the Lady of the Lake associated with Merlin in legend?" Nott asked with his brow furrowed.

"Yes."

"Does that mean the Arthurian Legend is true?" he asked trying to put together information he might have on the Lady of the Lake. I felt better realizing that even the most studious Malfoy & Co. didn't even know what Malfoy was talking about.

"Not necessarily, most of it is just folklore but a few of the people were real. The Lady of the Lake and Merlin were truly magical people though, of this I'm certain."

"Why is this important though?" Zabini asked. "We already know they existed, well Merlin at least. How can they be of any importance now?"

"Well, it turns out that the Lady of the Lake might be the answer to destroying Voldemort. I'm going to have to be longwinded here but it's necessary. As legend goes, Merlin found her, fell in love with her and taught her all of his magic. She soon surpassed him in power and knowledge though and trapped him in a glass tower, where he eventually died. She created her own brand of magic, which I assume is primitive compared to what we have now, but apparently still powerful. Now I don't know much about the magic except that it's unknown to anyone else in the world. It's only by chance that I happened upon the information."

"How'd you find the information?" I interrupted when he paused after his last statement.

"I found a book in the Highlands, virtually illegible at first because of its age, until I cast the spells allowing me to see all of what was written. It was an ancient account of magical practices, most of which are still used today or some form of them anyways. There was one though, that I had never heard of. There wasn't much information, only who created it and vague words of its power."

"Do you have the book?" Toussaint asked.

"Yes, but it's not with me. I didn't want to risk bringing it when I didn't know if I'd have time to put it back in its place before everyone arrives. I put it somewhere no one could possibly access it. You'll be able to go through it for our next meeting."

"What makes you think that this could possibly be used to defeat Voldemort though? If it's primitive magic, surely he'll be able to protect himself easily," Nott asked, unsure of the idea.

"I see your point but we have the advantage that Voldemort has no knowledge of this brand of magic, we use his ignorance to our advantage. Plus, the woman used her powers to defeat Merlin, who is one of the most powerful wizards that ever existed. Surely that counts for something," Malfoy countered.

Nott still looked a little unsure but Zabini said, "I see where you're coming from but how are we supposed to learn about this when no else knows about it?"

"Well we are going to research. Granger, that is going to be your main job for a while. I've found as much information on the Lady of the Lake as possible and you need to sift through it for anything that could be of use."

I was excited to have something important to read, something new to learn about. But there was something he was still leaving out. He said it would be my job for a while. What did he intend for me to do later?

"So you are holding me hostage so I can do research for you? Surely the others can do that just as effectively as I can."

Malfoy smirked, "That's because I have another use for you later."

He didn't elaborate; just let his last comment hang out there.

"And that is?" I asked irritably.

His smirk became even more pronounced at irritating me. "Well magic and certain abilities are passed down through each generation. It's possible that descendents are the only ones capable of possessing her magic. Plus, I've learned that ancient Pagan's of Britain were rather matriarchal, so her magic might only be present in her female descendents. So I spent the past year putting together the line of descendents and you Granger are a descendent of the Lady of the Lake."

This was surely a shock.

"What in God's name makes you think that?" I asked, not quite believing him.

"Like I said, I have been doing some work on this for a while. I have indisputable sources for every part of the lineage I mapped out. But before you start thinking that you are special or something, you aren't her only descendent. There are a lot of others of course, but all the others are muggles or dead already. Apparently the magic slowly disappeared from the line."

"Why did it suddenly show up in me?"

"It turns out that your parents are very distantly related descendents of hers. I can only assume that because they both carried traces of her magic it was passed onto you in full, visible form. I can show you the family tree I've put together at the next meeting. It's with the book and all the other information I've collected."

I was astounded. This was something I never expected to learn about my family history. While not really life changing, because technically I was still a muggleborn, it was incredible to learn that my magical abilities were descended from someone so powerful. Even Nott and Zabini's faces held astounded expressions. Toussaint who hadn't known me as the worthless mudblood in his life for the past ten or so years only looked fascinated by all the information he was hearing from Malfoy.

Did Malfoy mean that I might be the only person who can possess a great, ancient power? Was Voldemorts destruction now resting on my shoulders? On my ability to discover this forgotten and ancient magic?

"So you think that only I can harness the magic she created?" I asked when I wrapped my mind around what he expected of me.

"It's likely but not definite. Better safe than sorry though, eh?" he replied as though it was nothing of importance.

"So when do we get down to work?" Zabini sounded eager to tackle this puzzle.

"Once I get the chance, I'm going to give Granger the information I've gathered. Probably sometime tomorrow morning. I have only gone through some of it, so I expect you to do a thorough job of it," he said the last part looking at me. I nodded in response. Of course I would be thorough. When have I ever carelessly done research?

"In a few days," he continued, "we'll meet back here, she'll go over everything she found and we'll go from there. I would go through it myself, but I've been so busy and there's so much planned in the next couple of weeks, I can hardy find time to eat anymore." I noticed that unlike what many others would do, he did not make this statement as a complaint, or as an attempt to make us pity his tiring lifestyle. Instead he stated it as a fact, just something he accepted in his quest to destroy Voldemort. It would not make sense for him to ask for anyones pity, since he brought this burden on himself by defying Voldemort. This must be the reason that was he was so agitated when he first brought me down here. When I took a closer look at him, he did look exhausted. He hid his fatigue well though.

"Are we to tell the others about this plan?" Zabini asked.

"No, not a word of this leaves the room. Don't even discuss it unless you are in this room because you never know who could be listening in. For the others, we keep up the raids and continue spreading our influence in the world just as effectively as before." Malfoy said sternly.

The three men nodded. I didn't have to worry about keeping secrets considering I wouldn't be seeing anyone aside from these four men for God knows how long.

Malfoy then looked at his watch. "Oh shit. People will be here in a few minutes. Toussaint, return Granger to her room will you?" He said as he stood up.

"Yes, of course," he replied and we both stood up to leave the room.

"Thanks. You better be up early tomorrow, Granger," Malfoy said just before we reached the door. "I want you to get started on this as early as possible."

I only nodded at him and then left the room with Toussaint behind me.

He immediately picked up conversation as we paced down the hall. "How has the life of a hostage been treating you?" He was joking and had a smile on his face, but I glared at him all the same. I was surprised for a moment that he didn't bring up the information we had just been given but then I remembered that Malfoy said it couldn't be discussed outside of that room.

"Not well I take it?" he said, still smiling, when he saw that a glare from me would be my only answer. Apparently my discomfort was amusing to everyone around here.

"Are you looking forward to being with your _horrendous_ fiancé tonight?" I queried instead of answering his question.

Now he scowled. "Not in the least," he muttered darkly and I laughed. If my discomfort was amusing to him, his could amuse me.

"What's her name?" I asked after a short silence passed between us.

"Cecile."

"Well that's a pretty name," I commented.

"For an ugly girl," he stated and I smiled.

At this point we reached my room and I turned to face him.

"Surely she can't be that bad," I said trying to be optimistic about his situation. "Hopefully for your sake she'll have suddenly turned into the most beautiful and fascinating person you've ever seen."

"Ha. Not likely, but I appreciate your consideration."

"Anytime, Toussaint."

He smiled and said, "I hope your seclusion will not be too dull. If it is just keep in mind that I will be having the worst evening with my dull fiancé and that should make you feel better."

I just smiled and said, "You should probably get going. Don't want to keep you fiancé waiting do you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I would hate to do that. See you in a few days Granger," and with another smile, he walked down the hall and out of sight.

* * *

**AN: For anyone who is an expert on King Arthur and the related legend, before you freak out, I am not intending to use the original legend completely. Some of it is legit but other parts I am changing to fit my story. If anyone is confused by the whole Lady of the Lake thing, I have already started the next chapter and more detail will be included.**


	9. Chapter 9

I only own the plot.

Chapter 9

In the morning, I was in the shower when Malfoy dropped off a box of information I had to sift through. I was surprised at how much he found and I completely understood why he was unable to get through much of it. It took me almost three full days to get through all of the information and organize it logically. What I didn't look at closely enough yet was the family tree Malfoy made. It was truly impressive. I couldn't even fathom the number of hours he must have put into it, but it wasn't the time to examine every detail of my family history.

On Wednesday morning, I heard a knock on my door as I was putting all the newly organized information back into the box. I immediately assumed it could not be Malfoy. He almost never knocks, he usually just barges in.

Toussaint was standing at the door when I opened it. He looked strangely happy about something.

"Morning, Granger. I have been sent to bring you to the study. Malfoy wants to know what you have discovered."

"Alright. Could you give me a hand with this box though?" I asked, stepping aside to allow him into my room. "There is so much in it; it's really too heavy for me to lift."

"Sure," he said, but when he tried to pass through the doorway of my room, he hit his head off an invisible wall.

"What the hell is that?" he shouted as he rubbed his forehead and I just then remembered that Malfoy said he was the only one besides me who could enter my room.

"Oh I forgot. Malfoy put some stupid charm on the door so he is the only one who can come into this room aside from me. I'm so sorry about your forehead," I said as I stepped out into the hall and took a look at his head for myself.

"I doubt you'll get a bruise Toussaint."

"Yeah but it still hurts," he complained.

"Oh suck it up," I reprimanded. "Do you think you can levitate the box out here?"

He waved his wand and the box drifted into the hall. We turned to make our way to the study, the box levitating in front of us as we made our way down the hall.

We were silent part of the way there. Every few seconds I peeked at Toussaint out of the corner of my eye. He was emanating happiness today.

"Toussaint, I don't think I've seen someone look as happy as you do in years," I stated hoping he would tell me what he was so pleased about. He snapped out of his reverie.

"I'm sorry what did you say?" he asked finally focusing on me for the first time.

"What on earth are you so happy about?"

He smiled. "You remember on Saturday when I was dreading to see Cecile?"

I nodded. "Yes, how did that go?"

"Great. She is amazing. I do not know what happened over the past eight years, but she is the most beautiful and captivating woman I have ever met."

"That's great Toussaint," I said warmly, getting a little caught up in his happiness myself. "I take it you're looking forward to the wedding now?"

He nodded and said, "Yes, but I feel like an ass now for badmouthing her since we were sixteen."

"Don't worry about it. For all you know she could have been saying equally rude things about you behind your back. Just focus on your relationship with her now. So when is the wedding?"

"At the end of the month," he said opening the door to the study. He allowed me and the levitating box to go in before him. Malfoy was behind the desk reading what I assumed was a letter. He stood up when he saw us come in. Malfoy's serious demeanor was the exact opposite of Toussaint's contentment and my conversation with Toussaint was dropped instantly.

"Thanks Toussaint," Malfoy said nodding his head in Toussaint's direction. Toussaint nodded in return and walked to the large table in the opposite corner of the room where a tray of tea and pastries was sitting. There were chairs around the table, and Toussaint had dropped the box on that table too. Clearly that was where we would be working today.

"How far did you get with the information I gave you?" Malfoy asked me indifferently. I sensed something odd in the way Malfoy had been regarding me lately. Instead of trying to irritate me, he said as little as possible to me and always in an apathetic manner.

"I finished going through everything and I reorganized it."

"Well I hope you did a good job of it," he said folding up the paper he was reading and placing it into his pocket. I was slightly offended.

"Of course I did it well," I replied.

"We'll see about that. But we have to wait for Theo and Blaise to get here before we do anything," he said walking to join Toussaint at the table. He took the chair at the head of the table. Rather than stand in the middle of the room like an idiot, I joined them at the table and took a seat on the long side that was next to Toussaint and the farthest away from Malfoy.

Then Zabini came bounding into the study with Nott following at a moderate pace.

When Zabini saw me sitting in the room, his eyes brightened. "So are we finally going to figure a few things out about the Lady of the Lake."

"Obviously," Nott said rolling his eyes at his friend. "Sorry we're late Draco. We were just in London and he was distracted by a bunch of women," he continued jerking his thumb at Zabini as he sat down at the table across from Toussaint.

Malfoy laughed. "Of course he did. Don't worry about it; it's really no big deal." I would have expected a beating if someone was late to a meeting of Malfoy's, but instead he just laughs it off. I was sure though that these are the only two people he would accept that from.

"I can't help it, if they all want me," Zabini said shrugging and as he sat down across from me, he spoke to Toussaint.

"Toussaint, how've you been? How's Cecile?" he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"She's great," Toussaint replied smiling.

"Really? Great you say? You wouldn't mind sharing would you?" he questioned.

He was clearly joking, but Toussaint still got tense at the idea. "That is out of the question."

Malfoy, Nott, and Zabini laughed.

"Fine keep your woman to yourself," Zabini mock pouted. "But you know I would have shared with you."

"Unbelievable," I cut in. "The way you view women is disgusting Zabini."

Nott laughed. "Oh you've offended Granger now, you better watch out Blaise."

"Settle down Granger," Malfoy cut in. "Just because no one would ever want you doesn't mean you have to take it out on us."

Nott and Zabini laughed but Toussaint tactfully kept his mouth shut.

"Can we just get to work?" I snapped.

Nott and Zabini's smiles widened with mirth, but Malfoy seemed to come to himself and said, "Alright Granger what did you find." He was all business now.

I dug through the box to find the notes I had taken. Taking the pages of notes out of the folder, I skimmed through the first page briefly.

"Well first of all, there appeared to be more than one Lady of the Lake. The first, the one who learned her magic from Merlin and the one I think we are the most concerned about, was Vivienne. In the Pagan culture amongst the magical and holy people, there were rituals involving sex. Vivienne would undoubtedly have been involved in these rituals and must have had a few children. While all of her children would be able to perform magic, her full powers would've only been passed on to one child, one daughter to be exact. She taught the chosen daughter, all that was required and once it became necessary, she became the Lady of the Lake. Her successor was Morgan le Fay."

Nott then asked, "If the knowledge was passed on from generation to generation, how was the magic lost?"

I smiled, thankful that someone's thoughts followed mine exactly. "I've been wondering the same thing but I haven't a clue. It probably has something to do with the fact that it was only taught to one person each generation."

"How was it determined who would be the next Lady of the Lake?" Toussaint asked.

"I don't know for sure, but I think she simply chose her favorite daughter or the one she thought would handle the power best or be the most responsible with it. Some other information I found regarded her powers. She could shape-shift and she could control water, even large bodies of water. In the old religion, Vivienne is often associated with water deities which are the essence of life." Here I paused and looked through my notes.

"Anything else?" Malfoy drawled. I locked my jaw and shot him a quick irritated glare and then returned to my notes.

"Well there wasn't a much more information regarding her powers. Nothing that alluded to some mysterious great power, except for that book you found, Malfoy. That is the only book that even vaguely suggests she had another secret power. I did learn that every Lady of the Lake lived in Avalon.

"Avalon?" Zabini scoffed. "That's just some made up fantasy land."

"No it's not. There are accounts of people who needed to be healed or blessed that were taken to Avalon in here," I said gesturing to the box.

"Oh really? And where is this place then?" he asked still skeptical.

"Well that is unknown. The exact location wasn't even known to everyone during that time; only a select few knew of it."

"Oh well that sounds reassuring," Zabini said rolling his eyes.

"Shut up Zabini," Nott said who was already irritated by him because of his behavior earlier. "Is there any clue as to where it could be?"

"Yes, there are a few places that are believed to be where Avalon once existed. Dozmary Pool, River Brue, The Loe, and Bardsey Island. We are going to have find out for ourselves where the real location is."

"And we need to do some more work to find out what kind of magic she possessed," Malfoy added.

From there we divvied up the work and for a few hours every day we continued researching in the study for the rest of the week. I was given the responsibility to find out as much as I could about her magic. The others were trying to find the location. When I ran out of luck trying to find anything exact pertaining to Vivienne's magic, I turned to information about all ancient magic practiced in Britain. I hoped for any mention of her magic or any clue of what her magic might have been used for.

There were times when I found it necessary to take a break. So much new information, about brands of magic that hadn't been used in centuries made my head spin. Not to mention how frustrating it was that nothing I read referred to the Lady of the Lake. During these brief breaks, I would take a light nap in an oversized, forest green armchair or observe the four men I was working with, in what I hoped was an inconspicuous manner. All of them were certainly a sight to behold. It was a shame that such beautiful specimens of the male species had to be so evil.

Nott, although by no means tiny, was the shortest of them all but possibly the strongest, with a broad and stocky build that was pure muscle. His face didn't hold the regal handsome features that the others had in common, but he was attractive none-the-less. Plus, his eyes held a mysterious expression, which made him appear to hold a secret that no one knew but him. Zabini had dark skin, dark hair, and dark eyes. I hated myself for thinking it, but he is the very definition of the phrase tall, dark, and handsome. From what I gathered he really got around with women, and it was no surprise. Toussaint and Malfoy were the same height but that was all they had in common. Toussaint had dark hair and striking dark blue eyes. After much internal arguing, I had to admit that Malfoy was the most handsome of them all. Not because of his looks per se, they were all so attractive just in different ways, but because he possessed a gracefulness in his manner that the others lacked. And this was captivating. To my chagrin, there were many times I caught myself gazing at him, admiring his strong forearms or the way his hands moved as he wrote or when he occasionally twirled his wand.

Their looks were not all that possessed my mind however, thank goodness. That would be sad if it were the case. What I found particularly interesting was the dynamic between Malfoy, Nott, and Zabini. While Nott wasn't lacking a good sense of humor, he was serious most of the time. On the other hand Zabini was only serious when he had to be. The rest of the time he was joking around and making crude remarks. He definitely lightened what would have been a tense atmosphere, all of them working in the study to find as much information as they could. Malfoy was a balance of the other two. He was more thoughtful than Zabini but still didn't share Nott's more stern countenance.

During my first week of working with them, because of his more sociable personality, Zabini was the friendliest towards me, aside from Toussaint, with whom I was building a legitimate friendship. However, although Malfoy did promise not to take his anger out on my physically ever again, he became increasingly uncivil, which in turn caused Nott and Zabini to be equally uncivil after the first couple of days. I supposed he did it to establish boundaries; we would be working together, but there was no chance in hell of us becoming chummy in the process, not that I wanted that either. Working with them became intolerable though. When I tried to express my frustration at their rudeness, Malfoy just sneered and told me to get back to work. When I refused, he pulled me from the room and lashed at me in harsh tones in the hall that I had better do what he said. When I scoffed at this, he pinned me against the wall, so close I couldn't struggle.

"You are the prisoner here Granger. We may be working together at this point in time to reach a common goal, but we are not equals. You forget Granger, that while you possess valuable knowledge that can help me succeed, you are dispensable. I said I wouldn't hurt you, and I'll keep my word, but I have other ways of punishing you, of making you do what I want." He pushed himself off the wall and stepped away. "And I won't hesitate to dispose of you if you continue to become increasingly obstinate."

With that, he returned to the study. I remained in the hall, momentarily stunned.

I was struck by the fact that this was the complete opposite of what he told me the previous week, when he was trying to convince me to help him. I shouldn't have been so surprised that it was all lies, spilling from his mouth to get what he needed. He laid on the charm pretty much from the time I entered his house, to get me right where he wanted me, and then he turned the tables. Putting hatred aside my ass. He fed me bullshit about all of us needing to be more tolerant with each other and I ate it up like a sucker.

After determining to never trust anything that came out of Malfoy's mouth again, I returned to the room and found that everyone had spread out to work on their own. Malfoy was behind his desk, Zabini was sitting on the couch behind the coffee table, Nott was on the exact opposite side of the room sitting on a loveseat facing rows of bookshelves, and Toussaint was sitting at the large table we were all around moments before.

I moved to the table, picked up the tome I was just reading and my notes and walked to the back corner of the room, which was completely secluded from everyone else. I hated everyone here and I just wanted to finish this project as quickly as possible. But then I wondered what Malfoy would do to me once we were finished. Kill me? I was in such a terrible mood that I thought I would in fact rather be dead than have to put up with these people. I sat there seething, unable to focus on my book until I saw out of the corner of my eye that Toussaint had walked over to my corner of the room.

I looked up at him and he smiled. "Do you mind if I sit here?" he asked gesturing to the other chair.

"Not at all," I said thankful for his kindness. It seemed that I really could count on Toussaint.

The arrangements were like this for the entire next week. I spoke to no one but Toussaint, who after first arriving would talk with Malfoy, Nott, and Zabini for a short time before they separated and Toussaint joined me in my corner. I did my best to ignore Malfoy's existence, but there were times I caught him looking at me. There was nothing discernable in his gaze, but he was staring nonetheless. It was unnerving.

There was clearly something very messed up going on inside that head of his. I tried to ignore him as much as possible and focused solely on the research and talking to Toussaint, who is still unbelievably happy. His wedding is a week from tomorrow and he has said numerous times how much he wishes I could go and how well I would get along with his wife-to-be. I simply wave him off and state that she probably wants nothing to do with muggleborns.

"She really does not care about that stuff," he said on one occasion. "Never tell Malfoy that, because she will be joining his ranks after our wedding, but we have talked quite a bit about how it doesn't really matter anymore."

"Oh you don't have to worry about me telling Malfoy anything," I said. When I said this I looked in Malfoy's direction, only to find that he was looking at me again. What on earth was he looking at? There couldn't be something on my face or something strange about what I'm wearing. If there was, Toussaint would have told me. I was tempted to ask what he kept staring at me for, but that would require speaking to him, which I hadn't done in a week and it's really be wonderful. Plus, if I did call him out on it, he would most likely laugh at me and turn it against me, like I was the one who was staring at him all the time.

"You know, I don't understand why he's being so obstinate." Toussaint said. "We aren't going to get any farther until we share what we've found, but Malfoy just refuses to do anything."

"Yeah, well since I don't have to talk to him I'm rather happy with the situation," I replied.

Toussaint just rolled his eyes and let the conversation drop and we both went back to our books.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

When Draco Malfoy brought Hermione Granger into his home, he anticipated using her for whatever information he could and then immediately disposing her. Sometimes he still wanted to do this. He knew he would charm her, get what he wanted, and then get rid of her the easiest way possible. But he did not count on becoming so enthralled by her presence. Even on her first night in the mansion, he saw that she was not going to be beaten down easily. Part of him admired this in her and another part of him wanted to beat some sense into her; but that would not earn her trust. She was not one to give in to authority telling her what to do; especially if that authority figure was a sworn enemy. He knew this, which is why he spoke of tolerance and acceptance to get her agreement.

Malfoy could not however account for any other behavior towards her. She amused him and intrigued him. While not a stunning beauty, or even comparable to the most beautiful women he had ever seen, she was certainly much prettier than the last time he had seen her. He enjoyed pushing her buttons and making her uncomfortable, just to get a rise out of her. When his vile aunt threatened his cherished prisoner, he was consumed by anger. When he saw how well she got on with Toussaint, he was all jealousy. He kept that feeling in particular hidden very well. Not to even mention that first night here when he first felt her body against his and he couldn't shake the feeling for the rest of the morning. Some might say these were signs of infatuation, but _the_ Draco Malfoy would never admit that.

For a short time, he actually considered being legitimately civil towards her once they started working together before he realized it would be unacceptable behavior for someone of his stature. So he went back to his original plan. His behavior towards her at first was feigned indifference and then when he realized this was not enough to reinstate his feelings of revulsion, he became vicious. There were times though when he could not help but take a jab at her, but he was always angry with himself for indulging afterwards.

He appreciated Blaise and Theo taking his lead and being equally rude to her. Toussaint on the other hand still made him feel pangs of jealousy. While he was not as open with Granger in front of Malfoy, he was never cruel to her. This might have been acceptable, but if Malfoy ever left the room he would return to see Granger and Toussaint laughing and enjoying each others company. Or sometimes the five of them would go in their own part of the study to research alone, oftentimes Toussaint and Granger would wind up together in a set of chairs in the most secluded corner of the room. And anytime Malfoy looked over, they were smiling and speaking in enthusiastic whispers.

But Malfoy would be damned if he made any attempt to berate them for speaking to each other. He feared that would expose his jealousy, a jealousy which he would hardly even admit to himself. Yet, he no longer asked Toussaint to walk Granger back to her room but had Blaise or Theo take her instead. He would do it himself if he was not trying to avoid her.

Rather, he found himself gazing in her direction hating her but wanting to speak to her at the same time. He hated himself for wanting to talk to her, to know what was going on inside that busy brain of hers. So he did his best to block Granger from his mind and buried himself in his work.

And this did work most of the time. He had enough on his plate without worrying about having Granger on his mind more than necessary. He was trying to figure out as much as he could about the Lady of the Lake while planning raids and keeping up appearances in public so no one suspects his other plans or a possible weakness in his determination. Not to mention the fact that he had been sensing that someone was working with his enemies behind his back. He did not have a clue who it was though. He only spoke of it with Blaise and Theo so far, and they were now on the look out for any suspicious behavior amongst his other followers. Toussaint's wedding was coming up in a week and he would be focused solely on observing everyone there for questionable behavior.

But he still did not feel stressed by any means. This was what he always wanted; he loved what he was doing. He was working hard to achieve the power he dreamed of having for years.

Malfoy was certain that discovering the Lady of the Lake's ancient magic would bring Voldemort his demise. He only hoped that Granger would not be necessary to garner the power, but it was better to have her than to dispose of her only to realize that the ability to discover it was lost. No, it was necessary to bear her presence even if only for a short time. The will to get rid of her was more motivation, if he really needed any more, to get to the bottom of this Lady of the Lake business as soon as possible. Then he would be able to get rid of her. Yet, a small part of his mind, a part that he barely registered, and if he did he would tune it out as much as possible, acknowledged that he might not be able to get rid of her as easily as he hoped.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

During the next week I was not summoned to the study for any more researching. Apparently everyone was getting ready for Toussaint's wedding which was on Saturday. I actually wished that I could go and be there with my newfound and only friend on such an important day for him. I was kept from feeling too upset by the realization that I went, I would be surrounded by people I loathed.

On Thursday, when I left the bathroom after my morning shower, I found I note on my bed.

_I am not expecting visitors at any time today or tomorrow. Feel free to roam the house and grounds as you wish. I will be here all day and if someone should come unexpectedly I will find you to let you know._

_D.M._

I was ecstatic that I would not have to remain cooped up in my room again today. And tomorrow too for that matter. I strongly hoped that nobody would show up unexpectedly, not only because I would have to return to my room but also because I did not want to see Malfoy.

I threw on another one of the sundresses he provided for me. It was white with a light blue lace trim at the bottom of the dress which fell about an inch above my knee. I slipped on a pair of sandals and then made my way outside to walk around the grounds. It was beautiful outside, hot and sunny, with a light breeze. I suddenly wished I was a little girl again who could run around outside in weather like this without looking like a psycho. But I controlled myself and walked all around the grounds admiring every bit of nature I saw. It was only the second time since my coming her that I'd been able to get outside so I took full advantage the opportunity and remained outside for hours.

I eventually settled on a wooden bench in the middle of the garden closest to the pond which was a fair distance away from the house. At this point I wished I had brought a book from the library with me but I was not willing to go inside to get one.

_What if I ran into Malfoy? _

I instantly berated myself for being such a coward, but still didn't go inside. I sat on that bench for a long while and found myself intently watching a bee pollinating a flower directly to my right when I sensed someone sitting down beside me on the bench.

"Malfoy," I said in acknowledgement when I looked at him.

"Hello Granger," he replied. He was sitting rather close to me; his arm was lightly brushing mine. We sat in silence for awhile and I wondered why on earth he came outside; it surely couldn't be to enjoy my company. So why was he sitting there silently?

I stood up and walked over towards the pond. I stood gazing into the calm water. There was a light breeze today and it felt nice in the hot air. I didn't realize until now how much warmer it had gotten since I first came out here this morning.

"Granger," he said and I turned around to face him. He looked a little uncertain of what to say next.

"I am certain that someone is betraying me and I need your help figuring out who it is," he eventually blurt out.

I would not make this easy for him.

"Wow Malfoy, you just seem to be so in need of me lately. First you need me to help you find some ancient powerful magic, now you need me to help you wheedle out traitors amongst your followers. Anything else you need me for? Might as well ask right now while you're at it." I stated calmly and he glared at me.

"Granger I am in no mood for your attempt at patronizing me," he said standing up from the bench.

"And maybe I'm in no mood to be asked to do favors by someone who is so unnecessarily cruel to me," I said simply. "Why don't you just have Nott and Zabini look out for you?"

"I've already told them about it and they are," he stated.

"Well then you should be set," I said hoping the conversation would drop right there.

"No, I need more eyes watching for suspicious behavior," he persisted.

"So then tell someone else about it."

"I can't," he said as though this should be obvious. "I don't know who I can trust right now."

"Well what about Toussaint. You can trust him." Why was I even bothering to discuss this further?

"I'll tell him after the wedding. I don't want to tell him two days before to be on the lookout at his own wedding for traitors. He deserves to be focused solely on Cecile."

"Wait a minute," I said in a tone of feigned amazement, "is this consideration for others I hear coming out of Draco Malfoy's mouth?"

He smirked. "I am very considerate Granger."

I didn't even reply to that beyond laughing. If he really thinks he's considerate then that's just too much.

He scowled as I laughed at him. "So will you help me or not?" he asked.

"How do you expect me to help you Malfoy? I'm never around your followers. How am I supposed to know who might be a traitor?" I asked exasperatedly.

"Well you'll be attending Toussaint's wedding of course," he stated as though this was obvious.

I was astounded. "What? I can't go, everyone will recognize me."

He rolled his eyes, "Well I do know some charms that will change your appearance Granger."

I must have still looked a little wary of the idea so he said, "Besides don't you want to be at the wedding of such a good _friend_?" He emphasized the last word in what sounded like a harsh tone, but I couldn't understand why he would say it like that so I assumed I just misheard the tone of his voice.

"Well of course I do, I just don't enjoy being surrounded by a bunch of people like you."

"You're just going to have to deal with that Granger," he said smirking as he took a few steps towards me.

"What? I haven't even agreed to help you," I said angrily.

"No you haven't yet, but once I tell Toussaint that you'll be able to go to the wedding, he'll be thrilled and I know once he tells you how happy he is that you'll be there you won't be able to turn down the offer to go. You would never deny _him_ something he wanted." There it was again, that harsh emphasis when he refers to Toussaint. What is his deal?

But he was absolutely right. If Toussaint wanted me there I would be there. For the first time I regretted becoming friends with Toussaint.

"Fine, I'll go. But know that I'm not doing this for you," I huffed giving in.

Another smirk graced his face, "Oh I know you're not Granger," he said moving closer to me. I stood my ground, not only to appear unafraid but also because two more steps back would have me falling right into the pond. He was directly in front of me and whispered in a sickly sweet voice, "But that doesn't change the fact that you're going to be _my_ date."

"Your _what_?" I practically shrieked.

He just stepped away from me and said "Nice talking to you Granger," and made his way back to the house.

* * *

I was officially dreading Saturday night which of course meant that it came around much faster than I would have liked. As was expected, Toussaint stopped by on Friday to tell me how happy he was that I was going to his wedding. Apparently he told Cecile I would be attending, but under a disguise, and she was looking forward to meeting me. I wondered how Malfoy would feel about Toussaint telling Cecile all of this, but then I determined that he must expect Toussaint to tell her everything he could short of our actual plan regarding the Lady of the Lake. But Toussaint was thoroughly excited for the event and didn't stay long to talk since he still had so much to do. I was a little less enthusiastic about the whole affair, but a small part of me was happy to be going, only since it meant so much to him.

At twelve o'clock I started getting ready for the wedding ceremony which started at two o'clock. Malfoy would be retrieving me at one-thirty to perform some charms to make me unrecognizable and go to the wedding. He found a classy dress for me to wear which was a pale pink with a pair of strappy white heals to match. It was simple but I had to admit that it flattered me. Somehow he knew exactly what to buy for me.

When he arrived, barging right into my room from his own, he gave me a once over and smirked. Not one compliment on how nice I looked, rather he was probably just internally praising himself for making such a nice purchase.

"So what how are you going to make me look?" I asked.

"Wonderful of course," he stated walking over to me. "I wouldn't be seen with anyone who looked anything less than spectacular."

He turned me around, grabbed a hold of my shoulders and then walked me over the full length mirror beside my wardrobe. He stood behind me regarding my reflection for a moment and then pulled out his wand began the transformation.

He made my hair a few shades darker and a few inches longer. It became straight and soft instead of the wavy mess it was. My eyes turned from brown to vivid green and the light dusting of freckles across my nose and cheeks disappeared. The expression of my face changed, becoming more regal and less plain by the second. I was unrecognizable when the process was complete and I stared, in awe of what I looked like. When I looked at Malfoy in the reflection, he was still smirking, looking proud of his work.

"So is this what your ideal woman looks like Malfoy?" I asked, curious for some reason.

He cocked his head to one side and stared at me in the mirror before he answered.

"No," he said and then abruptly turned away.

He picked up my clutch purse from the bed, put something in it, and then held it out to me. "If you see anything suspicious, I want you to tell me immediately. And if you can't tell me because we are off speaking to other people, there is a small gem in here. When you rub it, it'll alert me that you've seen something and I'll come find you so you can tell me about it."

I nodded, taking the purse from him.

"And your name is going to be Mya Daray."

"Ok, any background information I need to know?"

"Can you speak with a convincing American accent?"

"I think so," I said testing it out.

"Good. You're from America then. If you're from England people will wonder why they've never seen you before since pretty much all of the pureblood families know each other. You're parents had a secret job within the government. That will insure that no one will ask too many follow-up questions about their occupation. You can determine the rest, like where you live and whatnot. Just make sure you keep your story consistent. You have to be from a pureblood family and oppose any muggleborn rights though. And I might recommend saying that you don't work at all since women staying home is most common among wealthy pureblood families."

When he finally got all that out, I nodded in understanding. I hoped it wouldn't be too hard to act like a typical arrogant pureblood.

He made sure I had everything I needed and then said, "We can't apparate from inside your room; we have to go into the hall."

"Where is the wedding at?" I asked.

"Toussaint's house," he replied.

"In France?"

"Yeah," Malfoy affirmed.

And he grabbed my waist tightly and feeling that uncomfortable pull transporting me to another place, I clutched his arm that was wrapped around my waist.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

We landed in front of a large estate which reminded me of Malfoy Manor only it was slightly smaller. Even the surrounding expansive grounds, although pleasing were just barely comparable to Malfoy's. It was still a grand estate though and I wondered if this was the Toussaint family estate or the Armand's own property.

"Is this Armand's home or the family's estate?" I asked Malfoy.

"It's their family estate. His older brother Leon lives here," he said.

I just nodded, already knowing about his brother Leon inheriting the estate after their father's death.

I could hear a light hum of voices and soft music from the grounds behind the Mansion. Instead of going around the house though, Malfoy lead us into the house.

"I told Toussaint we would meet him before the ceremony starts," Malfoy said as he held the door open for me to enter first into the extravagant foyer. In my direct line of vision was a double set of stairs that began together in the center of the foyer and then curved away from each other to reach opposite ends of the upper landing. Above me was a gigantic and expensive looking chandelier, the light of which radiated off the warm tones of the room nicely. Rather than admire the splendor which he must have found so commonplace, Malfoy moved off to my left to greet a man I did not realize was there at first.

"Leon, it's great to see you again," Malfoy said with a genuine smile as they shook hands. So this was Leon. He was more stunning that Armand if that was possible. It was obvious they were related, they looked similar, but Leon's hair was a few shades lighter and his eyes a more vivid blue, plus something about the way Leon held himself attracted further notice to his handsomeness.

When I took my place on Malfoy's right, he placed his hand lightly on my back and I fought back the desire to step away from his touch as he said, "This is my date, Mya."

Leon took my hand and told me it was wonderful to meet me and I returned the sentiments.

"Where is Armand?" Malfoy asked then.

"He's upstairs just finishing getting ready. He's expecting you, yes?" His French accent was much thicker than Armand's, but his English was just as good.

"Yes, we'll just go up for a moment and then join everyone else out back," Malfoy replied.

"Alright. I have to warn you now though because I don't know when he will be here, but Mathis knows the wedding is taking place today. He told me he'd be here."

Malfoy immediately tensed. Mathis was of course Armand and Leon's brother who has chosen an alliance with Voldemort. What did he mean by coming to his estranged brother's wedding?

"This is disturbing. However, everyone knows to be on guard in the presence of people who aren't one of us. Once he arrives will you warn me if anything seems particularly suspicious?"

"Suspicious? What's suspicious Malfoy?" sounded a deep voice from behind Malfoy and me. Toussaint looked around Malfoy's tall figure and his eyes widened. Malfoy and I then turned around to face the man who just entered the foyer.

His face would have been attractive if it wasn't marred by such a haughty expression.

"Ah, Mathis. What a…pleasant surprise," Malfoy stated in a tone colder than the one he even used with me half the time.

"A surprise? Is it really a surprise I would be at my brother's wedding?" he queried. He had an evil glint in his eyes but it was difficult to discern whether it was there for a reason or if it was there permanently. He the looked directly at me and said while walking closer to us with an intense gaze, "Who is your date Malfoy?"

Instinctively I recoiled towards Malfoy, the man in the room I was the most familiar with. I took half a step closer to him and he put his arm around my waist, gripping me tightly. I took a quick glance up at him and his jaw was locked tightly. He was barely containing his fury.

"This is Mya," he said tersely.

"Mya," he said my name slowly. "It's nice to meet you Mya," he said holding his hand out. I had no other choice but to shake his hand so I stood up straight and looked into his eyes with a confident gaze as I replied, "I'm glad to meet you too." Thankfully I remembered my American accent.

"Ah, you're American," he observed and seemed pleased by that for some strange reason. "I must insist that you save me a dance during the ceremony."

I was thoroughly disgusted and creeped out by him, but it was obliged to consent, surely it would be improper etiquette to refuse. In a normal situation, it might not matter, but when I was pretending to be a high class pureblood witch, I had to possess perfect etiquette.

"Of course," I replied not trusting myself to say anymore without betraying my true feelings.

He smiled, but not a kind smile. It was a mischievous smile and I was instantly worried about my well-being for having caught his interest. I assumed he took an interest in me only because I was Malfoy's date and he wanted to get at Malfoy somehow.

"I'll just go join the other guests outside now," he said and the swept out of the foyer.

Malfoy and Leon shared a significant look and Leon said in a low voice, "I'll head outside too. I'll keep an eye on him all evening. You'll be alerted when he does something too out of the ordinary." And he too left the foyer leaving Malfoy and me alone.

He still had his arm around my waist and he looked down at me with a determined gaze. "Don't worry about Mathis; as long as I'm with you he won't hurt you." His thumb was moving in reassuring circles on my waist.

I had by now learned to take anything Malfoy said with a grain of salt. So I squared my shoulders and stepped out of his hold. "I'll be able to handle myself."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Don't underestimate him Granger."

"Let's just go see Toussaint," I said.

Malfoy turned away irritably because of my dismissal of his warnings. He stormed up the stairs angrily and I followed him. Once we reached the landing we passed a few rooms, took a right turn in the hall, and then passed a few more doors before Malfoy stopped to knock on one. The door immediately opened and Armand was standing there looking happy as a clam.

For his friend's sake, Malfoy pushed forgot his anger and entered the room greeting him pleasantly. When the door was closed behind us, Armand took notice of me.

"Granger?" he asked a bit unsure. Malfoy's work on my appearance was truly amazing.

"Nope," I replied smiling. "Today I'm Mya Daray."

"Good work Malfoy," he said and Malfoy thanked him, smirking of course.

"So are you nervous? Or is there anything that we can get you?" I asked.

"No I'm fine. I'm glad you're here though," he said and hugged me for the first time since we'd become friends and I was a little surprised by the action but hugged him back nonetheless.

Malfoy abruptly stood up. "Well Toussaint, we'll just leave you now. There's only another fifteen minutes until you're getting married," he said looking at his watch. He looked a little peeved about something.

"Alright I'll see you guys out there," he said and Malfoy grabbed my hand and quickly pulled me out of the room behind him before I could say anything to Toussaint.

"What's your problem? We only just came up here."

"I want to make sure we have good seats," he muttered walking briskly down the hall.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, he stopped and turned me to face him.

"Now remember Granger," he whispered, "You're my date so you can't spend the whole night acting like you hate me."

"I know Malfoy; you'd do well to remember that too."

He looked like he was going to say something, but I cut him off, "Let's go outside now." I tucked my arm under his and he led us outside.

Walking outside we were immediately met by Nott and Zabini.

"Draco we saved you and…" Nott trailed off.

"Mya," Malfoy filled in.

"We saved you and Mya seats," he finished. Both men were openly checking me out, which made me slightly uncomfortable. Zabini stepped forward and took my hand. "It's nice to meet you Mya. You look beautiful," he said winking, letting me know that he knew who I really was. "Allow me to walk you to your seat?" he asked holding out his arm. Glancing at Malfoy with a small smirk on my face, I accepted his arm and allowed him to walk me to where we were sitting in the second row of seats.

The back lawn had white chairs set up rows on either side of a makeshift walkway where the bride-to-be would make her way to the altar from the house. Zabini moved to the fourth chair in and sat down. I sat next to him. Malfoy sat on the other side of me, and Nott next to him on the end. When Malfoy sat next to me, he was situated so his leg was resting against mine. I wanted to move a bit, but that would cause me to be in the same situation with Zabini, so I dealt with it. Besides, his warm leg resting against mine wasn't such a big deal.

"Nice work Malfoy," Zabini whispered leaning over me slightly so Malfoy would hear him.

"Thanks," Malfoy said smirking. I rolled my eyes. The way they were acting, they must have thought I was hideous in my natural state.

"Did you notice Mathis is here?" Nott said softly.

"Yes, I saw him when he arrived."

"Did you speak to him?" Zabini asked.

"Yeah, he acted like a creepy son of a bitch as usual," Malfoy replied.

"We'll make sure to watch him extra closely," Zabini said.

"Good, but don't let that distract you from keeping an eye on everyone else too."

"Of course bro. Don't worry, we've got you covered," Zabini said reassuringly.

More people started filling into the seats around us so they dropped the conversation there.

A man in long white robes walked to the top of a small elevated landing and stood calmly facing the large crowd gathered to see the wedding. Within a few more minutes, Armand was also on the landing and he stood waiting for Cecile to emerge from the house.

When we heard the door open, everyone stood and faced the house. The woman emerging was obnoxiously beautiful. So much so that she must have made every woman there feel drab in comparison. She was tall and had long wavy blonde hair and clear blue eyes. As she walked down the aisle, everyone turned and watched her meet Armand on the landing.

She put her right hand in his left and then the man in white performed the marriage ceremony which took the better part of an hour. When they kissed at the end of the service, everyone clapped enthusiastically. They were the picture of happiness.

Toussaint then said to the guests, "Thanks again for coming everyone. There are refreshments in the ballroom for anyone who would like some. Dinner will be served at five. Enjoy!" Everyone then stood up and slowly made their way to the ballroom.

Once inside the humungous ballroom which surprisingly fit everyone there, people scattered themselves around the room, getting drinks and speaking amongst their acquaintances in groups. Zabini, Malfoy and I stood together a few feet away from a table full of drinks. Nott had gone off to another part of the room and I briefly spotted him talking to Daphne Greengrass.

It wasn't long until Pansy Parkinson joined our group and she was introduced to me. She was perfectly civil when she thought I was a pureblood. She was mostly focused on Malfoy in conversation though. Yet, although she was forward with him, it was difficult to determine if she actually had any interest in him. So I spoke to Zabini most of the time and allowed him to ask me a million impertinent questions about my made up life in America which he found amusing.

Eventually, Armand and Cecile entered the room and made their way around to personally greet all of the guests. When they finally came to our group, being the only person who had yet to meet Cecile, we were introduced. She was perfectly friendly and even seemed a little shy at first.

Armand immediately fell into conversation with Malfoy, Parkinson and Zabini so Cecile said to me, "Would you like to come with me to grab a drink, Mya?"

"Sure," I said.

Rather than get a drink, we began to take a turn about the room. When we were a safe distance from the group we left behind, she began speaking.

"Mya," she said with a humorous glint in her eye, "I'm so happy to finally meet you. Armand has told me so much about you, I feel as if we are friends already," she said enthusiastically. She was completely sincere in everything she said.

"It's nice to meet you too," I replied just as ardently. "Armand has told me so much about you too, and I'm so glad I was able to come today. You look spectacular by the way. Your dress is amazing."

She smiled. "Thank you. I got it in Italy. I won't deny that I tend to go a little overboard when it comes to clothes."

"Well it seems perfectly reasonable in this case."

She then glanced around us to be sure no one was close enough to overhear, "I do hope we can see each other outside of this setting. I understand you aren't really yourself this evening so we cannot speak freely. Plus, Armand tells me that the only people you ever get to talk to are him, Blaise, Draco, and Theo, and that must be tiring," she said conspiratorially.

"I'd like that very much; God knows I need someone else to talk to outside of Malfoy's house."

We then fell into an easy conversation. I assumed she must have been much quieter when Armand first met her, which is why he thought her dull. Not to mention the fact that she was supposedly very unattractive eight years ago so he probably didn't even bother trying to get to know her. But upon speaking to her more, it was clear that although reserved, she is perfectly capable of carrying on a lively conversation.

While we were walking about the room, I remembered my real job here which was to look out for suspicious behavior. Nothing really caught my eye, but I did make sure to keep track of anyone I saw Mathis speaking to. Many of the people I didn't recognize, but most of them seemed tense when he spoke to them.

Dinner came and went without complication. Malfoy and I sat at the honored table with the bride and groom in their grand dining room, while all the other guests sat outside at the tables that were spread out all over the lawn where the rows of chairs were hours before. Joining us at the table was Leon, Zabini, Nott, Adrian Pucey, Marcus Flint, and Daphne Greengrass, who much to my surprise seemed to be showing a strong interest in Nott, which he evidently returned. I wondered why Cecile didn't have any family here but figured it wasn't my place to ask.

Everyone was shockingly pleasant. I'd never experienced kindness on behalf of most of the people at the table and it was odd to experience it. Also, I was content with the way Malfoy was behaving. It was clear to everyone I was his date, but he wasn't overbearing. He was charming and pleasant. This was a side of Malfoy I could get used to but I kept my walls up, knowing that after tonight everything would go back to the way it was. Not that I really wanted his kind attentions regularly, or at least I tried to convince myself of that.

After dinner, was dancing. Armand and Cecile took the floor for the opening dance, and then everyone else joined in. I of course had to dance with Malfoy, and much to my chagrin, I didn't have to pretend to enjoy myself. He was a great dancer, every step was confident. He was warm and smelled wonderful. For these reasons, although he held me closer than was probably necessary, I couldn't bring myself to complain. I danced with Armand once and Zabini a few times as well. Although Zabini wasn't as skilled a dancer as Malfoy, he was the most fun to dance with. He would point out things he found amusing about the people around us so we didn't dance so much as stand still laughing. I also danced with Nott once when he actually left Daphne at one point. He was all business though.

"Have you seen anything?" he asked.

"Nothing yet. I've been keeping track of everyone Mathis speaks to though."

"Anyone more often than others?"

"Millicent Bulstrode maybe, but nothing too questionable."

"I'll keep an eye on her anyways," he said and the rest of the dance passed in silence.

Luckily, Mathis seemed to have forgotten about the dance he requested, which only convinced me that he was in fact just trying to get under Malfoy's skin earlier.

This dancing carried on for a couple of hours before Malfoy found me again and I was obliged to go with him as he mingled with the guests as a leader must. He kept my left arm tucked under his the entire time we made our way through the ballroom and outside, where the large patio had groups of people chatting. I didn't know many of the people, and although Malfoy introduced me, I forgot their names almost as soon as I heard them. When we went outside, it was already completely dark. On the patio were a bar and a few small tables where a few girls, who were probably only about sixteen, were sitting. When Malfoy and I passed, I could hear them gossiping about all the "sexy men" there were.

While Malfoy made his way to speak to another person I didn't know, I said, "I'm going to get a drink. Do you want anything?"

He shook his head, let go of my arm and then continued walking. I got my drink and made to return to Malfoy, but he had disappeared from the patio. Peeved at being completely alone in a sea of people I didn't know, I began walking across the patio sipping my drink when I heard, "Mya," from behind me.

I turned around and Leon was sitting at one of the tables with a drink in hand. I sat across from him and complimented how nice the party was.

"Thanks, I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying it,"

There was a small pause before I asked, "So do you live on this huge estate by yourself?"

He nodded. "Yes, it's a shame really. Most of the house is unused with only on person living here."

"I imagine you'd be rather lonely being the only one in such a large house," I said.

He shrugged. "I'm not really home enough to notice. I spend most of my time working and when I am home, I'm either sleeping or in my study doing work so I don't even have time to think about being alone here."

"Where do you work?" I asked, although Armand had previously told me he worked for the French Ministry of Magic.

"I work for the French Ministry."

"Wow," I said feigning surprise. "What do you do?" I asked since I didn't know the particulars of his job and I was curious what kind of job could require so much time spent working.

"Well I am in the Ministers council. There are five of us who are in his council and we just help him make decisions by providing information and all possible courses of action."

"That's an impressive position. How did you get that job at such a young age?"

"After school, I got an internship in the Ministry. I met the current Minister before he was elected and he liked a lot of my ideas, so when he got the position he asked me to be in his council."

"That's amazing, I –" but I was cut off by someone coming out of the house saying, "Leon, you've got to come here."

Leon smiled sympathetically to me. "Sorry, we'll talk again later yeah?"

I nodded.

He got up and walked into the house. I finished my drink and then decided to do the same so I could find Malfoy.

I searched the ballroom but I couldn't find him anywhere. I decided to head back outside when I spotted Mathis and Millicent Bulstrode together again. Looking closely, I saw that they were speaking warmly with one another. While everyone else got uncomfortable when a known enemy came there way, Bulstrode was perfectly content. Something was off, but how stupid could they be to converse so feely where anyone could see?

It was now imperative that I find Malfoy and I quickly went back outside. Once I stepped onto the patio, I saw Malfoy by the bar, blatantly hitting on some woman. I was furious that he would be out here, with a woman who isn't his date while I'm trying to find him for something important. I didn't have the gem he gave me, since I left my purse in the house, so I had to personally interrupt their conversation.

"Can I borrow you for a moment?" I asked quietly when I walked over to him.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back," he said to the woman, giving her a dashing smile and then followed me around the side of the house until we were completely out of sight, and hopefully out of earshot.

"What do you want?" he asked, a little irritated I dragged him away from the woman at the bar.

"Don't give me that attitude Malfoy. She'll still be there once I'm done talking to you," I retorted.

"Well get on with it."

"It's Mathis. I've been watching him with everyone tonight. Usually, when he comes around people stop talking until he leaves, but not Millicent Bulstrode. I've seen them together multiple times tonight and she's very open with him," I explained.

He was instantly more serious when I mentioned Mathis. "Alright. Have you told Nott or Zabini about this?"

"Only Nott. I mentioned the two of them speaking quite a bit earlier, but I wasn't too certain of anything yet."

He nodded. "Well there's really nothing I can do about this now. But at least we're on to something." With that he turned away to go back to the bar. I wouldn't even get a thank you from him? He was so irritating.

I couldn't stand that he was going to just walk away like that so I said, I thought I was supposed to be your date," I said lightly.

He leered at me, "Are you jealous Granger?" I gave him a strange look, which I hope conveyed that the idea was absurd, but I realized that I did feel a sharp pang of jealousy when he turned his back on me to return to the woman at the bar.

"Ha. Of course not. Go enjoy the floozy," I said.

He smirked and walked away and out of the shadows came Pansy Parkinson.

"Well Granger you certainly look quite unlike yourself tonight."

Shit. "How much did you hear Parkinson?"

"Only the end of your conversation. Don't worry though. Malfoy will lose interest in whatever slag he's found within the hour."

"Whether or not he does makes no difference to me," I replied with as much sincerity as I could muster.

She just smiled and shook her head as though she knew better. "Whatever you say Granger. So I thought you were being held prisoner. How did you end up here?" Apparently she was looking for a full on conversation. I was expecting a few terse remarks and then she would run off to Malfoy and demand why I was here.

"I'm not at liberty to talk about that," I replied and surprisingly she didn't push further.

"Not surprising."

"Yes, but you can't tell anyone who I really am."

She gave me a shrewd look, "Of course not Granger, do you think I'm some kind of idiot? Believe it or not but I understand the importance of discretion, which is why I'm uncertain of whether or not I should tell you what I'm about to tell you."

This was odd.

"What are you talking about Parkinson?"

"When was the last time you saw Ron?" she asked. This threw me for a loop. How much more bizarre could this night possibly get.

"Why are you concerned? Do you know where he is?"

"Just tell me when the last time you saw him was," she persisted.

"Almost two years ago. He left England in September, a few days after my birthday. It will be two years since I've last seen him," I told her more detail than was probably necessary. She looked a little disappointed by my answer which was odd.

"Why do you want to know? Have you seen him? Do you know where he is?" I asked forcefully hoping to get an answer.

"Can I trust you not to speak a word of this to anyone? Especially not Draco," she asked, almost sounding a little worried that someone would discover whatever she was about to tell me. But to me, a secret from Malfoy was a secret worth keeping, as long as it didn't put me in any danger in the process.

"Of course, the last person I would ever tell is Malfoy anyways," I assured her.

She smiled. "That's what I hoped."

"So what it is it you're trying to tell me?"

"I assume you know Ron went to Spain when he left England?" she began.

"Yes, but how would you know that?" I asked astounded.

"I ran into him while I was there on vacation with a few of my cousins who have a flat in the wizarding part of Madrid."

"_What?_ You saw him? When? How was he, what was he doing, why didn't you turn him in?" The questions spilled out of my mouth like rapid gunfire. Someone had now verified for me that he made it to Spain in one piece. Although I received an unsigned postcard from the country, which could only have been from him, a simple postcard left a lot of questions unanswered.

"Well, it wasn't long after he first arrived there that we ran into each other. You know Spain is still free territory, so he was able to walk out in public during daylight. Well he and a few others arrived and rented rooms in the same building as me. The first time I saw him, I thought I would turn him in. But for some reason, I didn't bring myself to do it. Then a few days later, one of my cousins invited one of Ron's friends up to our flat for a small party, and of course Ron and the others came too. It was tense at first but then we wound up off on our own talking, and then I knew I couldn't turn him in."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" I questioned skeptically.

She smiled. When she began telling her story about Ron, she became infinitely more pleasant. "Yes. We continued seeing each other for the next few months, before he finally had to leave. I won't even begin to tell you how worried I was, how worried I have been actually."

"I can imagine," I said more to myself than her. "So you love him?"

"Yes," she said seriously.

"Wow, this is certainly a surprise. Have you seen him since?"

She shook her head sadly. "No, all he said to me the last time I saw him was that he would let me know when he'd be returning to England. That was almost two years ago, and I haven't heard a word of him or from him."

"Oh God, I hope nothing happened to him. Why are you telling me all this?" I asked.

"I don't know, I just felt like I had to. You are his best friend and I know he loves you. I guess I just thought that you should know."

"So where do you stand with Malfoy then? I mean, I'm sure you know full well Ron will never support him. How did he feel about you affiliation with him?" I asked.

"Well he came to understand that I could never turn on Malfoy. I told him that I would help in whatever he did to weaken Voldemort, but I would not help him destroy Malfoy. Well, I know you are well aware of his temper, so needless to say he was angry about that for a while, but I made him accept it eventually," she explained.

"You know, please don't take offense at this, but I always assumed that you had feelings for Malfoy. And I think he's under that impression too," I told her.

She seemed a little perturbed but smiled all the same, "You know that doesn't even surprise me. I know I can be a little forward with all men in general, but I have no feelings for Malfoy whatsoever. I haven't for years. We were great friends before we dated a long time ago and I would like if we were again, but it doesn't concern me too much. Besides, Malfoy thinks all women love him," she said rolling her eyes and we both laughed.

I never expected to be having a civil conversation with Pansy Parkinson of all people, but she was surprisingly nice and wasn't as much of an idiot as I thought. Upon actually viewing her without a predetermined hatred, I saw that she was actually a lovely woman. She had blue eyes and shoulder length black hair, and while like me, she did not possess any exquisite beauty, she was far from being plain.

"Yes, he is rather egotistical when it comes to women," I agreed and I saw the topic of our conversation walking towards us over Pansy's shoulder.

"Ah, speak of the devil and he doth appear," I said. "Listen, thanks for telling me. You don't have to worry about me telling Malfoy."

She nodded and smiled. "Hopefully we'll get another chance to chat sometime." And with a brief acknowledgement to Malfoy when he got close enough to where we were standing, she walked away.

"Time to dance Mya," he drawled and led me into the house to dance.

When he took me onto the dance floor and began moving us around the room, I said "So what made you decide to dance with your _actual_ date? You seemed to be enjoying the other women earlier," I said with some edge. Where was this attitude coming from? Why should I give a damn who he talks to or dances with?

He smirked. "Settle down Mya, jealousy doesn't become you."

I glared. "Believe me Malfoy, I'm not jealous," I said with finality and he didn't say anything else.

We didn't even make it through the first song when Mathis appeared out of nowhere and told Malfoy he would like to speak with him privately.

Malfoy looked furious but assented. "One moment please," he said and Mathis gave us some space. He went to stand by the doorway of the ballroom.

"You will stay here, do you understand?" Malfoy said sternly.

"Why should I?" I asked, stubborn as usual.

"Are you stupid? Because he's dangerous, that's why. Just stay here." And then he turned away and followed Mathis out of the ballroom. And of course I followed them.

I followed them a good distance away from the mansion, until they came to stop at the outskirts of a forest. I hid myself behind a tree that was just behind Malfoy.

"What are you doing here Mathis? What do you have to gain from coming to the wedding of a brother you no longer speak to?" Malfoy questioned.

As though he didn't hear the question, Mathis said, "What if I told you I knew where your next raid is planned?"

"That's impossible," Malfoy said forcefully.

"Don't be so sure," Mathis replied wickedly. "But I'm catching on to you. I can't believe that these raids which rarely ever accomplish anything are all that you spend your time planning."

"Believe whatever you wish Mathis, it is of no concern to me," said with convincing nonchalance.

"But it should be Malfoy. I am working hard to discover what you're hiding," Mathis glinted.

"As you can see I'm not worried," Malfoy drawled. "The idea of you discovering anything of importance is laughable."

"You'd be wise to treat me with more respect, Malfoy," Toussaint replied harshly straightening up to reach his full height.

"You are by no means superior to me," Malfoy returned standing up straighter too and he towered over Mathis.

"As a matter of fact I am. I am the Dark Lord's most trusted follower now."

"Yeah and we'll see how long that lasts," Malfoy scoffed and Mathis seethed.

"You're a fool Malfoy and you will soon meet your demise."

"No," Malfoy said callously. "It will be Voldemorts demise and yours as well. And it'll be sooner than you think."

With this threat, in an instant Mathis pulled out his wand and catching Malfoy off guard shouted, "Crucio!"

Malfoy fell to the ground withering in pain, but no sound passed his lips. "I'll teach you your rightful place in this world Malfoy!"

Malfoy's wand had fallen out of his hand, and seizing the opportunity, I lunged forward, grabbed the wand and shot a spell at Mathis before he had time to react. I missed, but his Crutiatus Curse ended which was what I intended. He tried to send the curse my way but I blocked it just in time and shot out a spell of my own, knocking him off his feet. He quickly regained his footing however, and shouted "Crucio!" again and I spun out of the way, the spell missing me by centimeters.

"Stupefy!" I shouted, pointing the wand at Mathis, but he dodged it and then took off running into the woods, realizing that it was not going to be a fight easily won. I started to run after him when Malfoy who was now on his feet grabbed my arm to hold me back.

"Let him go, it's not worth it."

"Not worth it? Where were you for the last five minutes? He's a danger to society!" I shouted and tried to move again.

"Now isn't the time Granger," Malfoy said gruffly pulling me back towards him roughly and losing my footing a bit, I fell back into his arms. He didn't push me away, but wrapped his arms tightly around me. My head was tucked under his chin. After a minute of standing in this manner, he gripped my chin and forced me to look at him.

"The next time I tell you not to do something because it's dangerous, you better listen to me," he said sternly.

I was instantly more furious than I had been a minute ago. "Don't act like I can't handle myself Malfoy. Besides, if I –"

"Shut up," he blurt out. And then he kissed me. It was gentle, yet firm at the same time. He had one arm around my waist and his other hand was gripping my hair. I stood unmoving for a moment but then I reacted, unknowingly dropping Malfoy's wand and placing my hands on his shoulders.

His kiss fueled a fire in me and I didn't even consider who I was kissing, but only I only thought of continuing. He pulled me closer when he felt me responding. Once he ran his tongue along my lower lip however, I regained rational thought and stepped away. I was shocked and appalled at my response. He gazed at me with an unreadable look in his eyes. Then he seemed to come to his senses too and looked away from me.

I was even more mortified when he bent down to pick up his wand. I had the perfect opportunity to make my escape. Malfoy was wandless, I was in control. But I blew it. I stood there kissing him when I should have been cursing him.

Eager to get away from him, I said, "I should get back to the party."

And he let me go without a word.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

At ten o'clock on Saturday night, Draco Malfoy donned dark robes in his bedroom to blend into the night. He was preparing for a raid, a raid of the upmost importance, for it would expose Bulstrode as the traitor for certain and he would feel secure again. As he prepared, he thought of what led to this night.

The entire week following the wedding was useless on the research front. Armand was in the Caribbean with Cecile. Theo was finally moving in on Daphne Greengrass so he had spent much of the week out with her. That left Malfoy with Blaise only to narrow in on Bulstrode. He might have asked Granger for help if he was not avoiding her. Again.

Draco Malfoy came to the realization two days before Toussaint's wedding that he could not avoid Granger forever. He argued with himself about whether or not he should bring her to Toussaint's wedding for days until he finally determined it would be a good idea, if only for the extra help in spotting the traitor. Of course he would not recognize the fact that he wanted an excuse to talk to her for the first time in days had something to do with his decision.

When he found her out in the garden, wearing the white sundress he bought for her, he was taken aback. He knew she had been outside all day, and as a result her skin darkened slightly, causing her to look absolutely stunning in the bright white dress. Malfoy could hardly fathom his reaction to seeing her. He was constantly around women far more beautiful than Granger, but none of them elicited such strong admiration in him. Once he sat beside her, close enough to feel her next to him, he returned to his original argument of whether or not he even should bring her to the wedding, which resulted in sitting on the bench in complete silence longer than necessary.

Once she opened her mouth though, Malfoy found it easy to revert back to his usual condescending manner with her. He enjoyed patronizing her, making her uncomfortable, the way he did before he started avoiding her. He stood closer than necessary to her just to watch her squirm. His decision to have her attend as his date was a completely spur of the moment decision. While he stood there, he knew it would have her on edge. Plus, he did not like the idea of her openly mingling with any other men.

Surprisingly, he found that Granger played her part well. And by exposing Bulstrode, she proved that she was a valuable asset, as much as Malfoy hated to admit it. He was so pleased with her that he wanted to bring her to more formal occasions that required a date. It would certainly be easier than finding a new woman for every occasion, aside from the fact that he would not be guaranteed sex after the event. Another downside was that he had a reputation to uphold. He was not a one woman man.

As this thought passed through his head, he paused in front of his full length mirror and smirked at his reflection, pleased by his own attractiveness. Surely bringing Granger to more formal events couldn't put a damper on his sex life.

His thoughts then flowed into dangerous territory. He thought of kissing Granger by the forest. The smirk fell from his face to be replaced by a frustrated look that he had every time he thought of kissing her. He turned away from his reflection in disgust.

What was he thinking, kissing Granger? At the time, he was angry with her for not listening to him, for dismissing his requests as usual. But he was also so thrilled with her. She pointed him in the direction of finding the traitor and she saved him from the wrath of Mathis. His feelings towards her were a mixture of strong emotions and at the time, nothing seemed more natural. And to feel her reacting to him with equal fervor, for at least a brief time, he had never been more shocked or pleased. Not until she pulled away from him with an unfathomable look in her eyes did he come to his senses.

When he saw his wand on the ground, he was even more shocked she did not use it against him. He hardly heard her saying that she was going back to the party and he had no intention of stopping her. He was already trying to rationalize his appalling behavior.

Malfoy stayed away from her for the rest of the night and even had Blaise escort away from the party at the end of the night. Blaise questioned Malfoy's strange behavior, but he wouldn't explain.

The following day, after endlessly berating himself for his actions, he deemed the whole situation as Grangers fault. So while he planned his course of action with Blaise, he kept her locked in her room although it would have been safe for her to roam the grounds all week. He knew that keeping her caged in would upset her more than just about anything else. He thought this was suitable punishment for what _she made him_ do.

At least with Granger locked away, for the most part he was able to focus solely on bringing Bulstrode down. The plan he and Blaise devised was simple but it would be effective. They planned a raid in a small wizarding town in northern England, where they knew Death Eaters resided. The only one of his followers told of the location in advance was Bulstrode. If the Death Eaters were prepared for a fight when they arrived, she would be exposed.

Malfoy slipped on his boots and strode confidently from his room into the hallway where he could Apparate. He had no doubt in his mind the mission would be successful.

He apparated to the meeting point; a small shack about a mile away from the small village.

As his followers began popping up around him, they gathered around, listening for directions. There was only a handful of Death Eaters living in the small town, so Malfoy only asked some of his best fighters to be there. As he looked around the group, all of their faces reflected his confidence. He did not expect and losses tonight.

Theo and Blaise were the only ones present who knew the real reason behind this raid, and when Bulstrode showed up, they immediately tried to read her, for any hint that she betrayed her knowledge of the raid to the enemy but her face was completely blank. Others amongst the group were Parkinson, Greengrass, Flint, Pucey, Warrington, and Higgs. Malfoy regretted that Armand was still on vacation since he was another one of his strongest fighters.

They opted to walk silently into the town, rather than apparate which would only immediately divulge their arrival. They passed swiftly and silently through the fields surrounding the town. They were the epitome of stealth as they crept through the town, making their way to where they told Bulstrode the first attack would take place.

Malfoy and his followers surrounded the building, still hidden in the shadows. After a moments pause, Malfoy emerged from the shadows and started towards the building. He barely took three steps when a curse was shot at him. He dodged it and heard from inside, "They're here boys! Give 'em hell!" And dozens of Death Eaters poured out of the house.

Malfoy stood, his eyes widened in shock. He never expected such a large gathering. He only had a moment to realize that he had led his most loyal and skilled fighters to a massacre, before being drawn into the fight himself. Chaos surrounded him. He took it upon himself to find Bulstrode and destroy her himself. He searched for her through the swarm of fighting men and women, shooting as many curses as he could towards the Death Eaters. His fighters were holding up well, taking on three and four Death Eaters at a time.

He finally spotted Bulstrode trying to make her way into the house. He raced up to her while trying to evade the curses being sent his way. She almost reached the door when he caught up to her, knocking her off her feet with a curse as he flew up the porch steps. She was on her knees before him, with a sick smile on her ugly face.

"Thought you'd get away with it did you?" Malfoy snarled.

"Didn't I?"

He responded with "Avada Kedavra," and she fell dead before him.

Malfoy stood over her for a moment, letting his victory in destroying her wash over him. Then he felt a searing pain as a curse hit him, leaving a long cut down the length of his back. He roared furiously and turned around as he heard someone shout "Malfoy!"

He searched for the source of the voice and in a moment found Higgs, surrounded by five Death Eaters, barely managing to block their curses. Ignoring the pain in his back, he leapt off the porch of the house and sprinted to Higgs' aid. He moved swiftly to kill two of the Death Eaters around Higgs, before Malfoy himself was under fire from numerous others. Minutes passed and the fighting didn't let up until Malfoy heard Higgs' defeated shout as a killing curse hit him, sending him to the ground. Numerous Death Eaters closed in on Higgs' body, like a pack of wolves, and they beat the body to a pulp.

Malfoy immediately shouted into the night, "Everyone pull back!" and he heard the distinct apparition pop's as all of his followers left the scene.

Malfoy ferociously pushed his way through the Death Eaters violating Higgs' dead body, killing as many of them as he could. He reached the body, held on for dear life and apparated. He landed in the shack where everyone else was waiting for him.

First thing, he looked around the room and felt relief wash over him seeing that everyone who was supposed to be there was there. Most looked injured in some way or another, but nothing fatal. They all stared at Higgs' dead body on the floor in shock. He then cast a spell barring anyone else the ability to apparate into the shack.

"I can't believe this happened," he started remorse seeping into his tone. "I've never been angrier with myself. I should have prepared for a tougher fight; I just never expected so many of them."

"There's never been any history of more than five of them being here at one time. Why were there so many tonight?" Adrian Pucey questioned, sounding exhausted.

"Bulstrode. She tipped them off."

"Bulstrode!" Marcus Flint burst out shocked by the information.

"But where is she now?" Greengrass asked, and everyone else seemed to notice at once that Bulstrode was not there.

"She's dead," Malfoy said tersely. "I suggest everyone go home and get some rest."

After a moment, the only people remaining with Malfoy were Blaise and Theo, and Malfoy's demeanor completely deflated.

"I've got to take Higgs' body to his family," Malfoy said gruffly, staring at the body at his feet.

"No, Draco. We'll take him. We were much closer with him and his family, it'll mean more if we take him," Theo said.

Malfoy shook his head. "No, it's my fault he's dead, I've got to take him."

"Don't beat yourself up over it Draco. None of us expected this, we all should have been more careful," Blaise said.

Malfoy's shoulders sagged but he didn't say anything. His anger was eating away at him.

Nott placed his hand on his friends shoulder. "Go home Draco, we'll take care of Higgs."

Malfoy nodded solemnly, murmured a thank you and then apparated to the hallway outside his bedroom. He walked into the room and closed the door silently behind him.

He took one long look around his room and then the fury began.

He let out a furious shout, loud enough for anyone who might have been on the grounds outside to hear. He stormed further into his room and tore off his robes, leaving him in his t-shirt and black pants. Cursing at himself, he stormed through the room smashing everything he laid his eyes upon. He was so consumed by his rage that he didn't hear the alarm on his wand go off or hear a door open.

"What on earth is going on in here Malfoy?"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

It was late and I was still wide awake when I heard Malfoy storming through his room furiously. I had no idea what could possibly warrant such a reaction unless Voldemort had somehow suddenly vanquished all of his enemies. But if that was the case neither Malfoy nor I would still be alive.

Expecting it to be over in less than a minute, I remained in my bed trying to block out Malfoy's cursing. But he continued raving for minutes and for some unexplicable reason, I found myself concerned for his welfare. Surely a fit of this magnitude could not be healthy. I wondered if going into his room was really the best choice, considering what happened the last time I was alone with him and emotions were running high. But then again, I had already determined it was something I would never allow to happen again and surely he felt the same way.

I walked briskly to the door connecting my room to his and after only a moments hesitation I opened the door and stepped into the room. It was similar to my own room, but with darker green colors and the wood used in furniture was darker. I took a quick glance around the room, assessing the damage.

"What on earth is going on in here Malfoy?"

The room looked like a hellhole. In every corner of the room objects were smashed to bits. The man responsible had his back to me but still looked like a raging lunatic. His hair was a mess and he was breathing heavily. When he heard my voice, he squared his shoulders in shock and remained frozen in the center of the room. Tentatively, unsure of whether or not he might have another tantrum, I stepped closer to him.

"Malfoy what is the matter with you?" I asked with some edge to my voice. I was concerned, but far from willing to fuss over his well being.

He didn't answer or turn around. His hands balled into fists and he seemed to be controlling himself from some kind of outburst. I moved closer still and on closer inspection of his back, I saw that his black t-shirt was torn and appeared to be wet.

"Are you bleeding?" I asked incredulously.

At this, he abruptly turned around as though nothing was worse than my seeing his injured back. He had a manic look in his eyes, he was angrier than I'd ever seen him.

"Don't worry about it Granger," he said gruffly, his voice calmer than I expected.

"So you are bleeding." I stated archly, not letting his demeanor frighten me. Someone needed to be levelheaded right now.

He narrowed his eyes at me and folded his arms across his chest as I stepped closer, finally standing right in front of him.

"If you think I need help Granger, I don't. Especially not yours."

"So you think you can heal a wound you can't even see?"

"Sure Granger," he said matter of factly. We could both sense the absurdity of that statement.

Instead of starting an argument over his stubbornness, I said "Will you let me help you or not?" I didn't know exactly why I was so intent on helping him. It must have been a natural reaction to seeing someone as distressed as he clearly was. It seemed inhumane to just leave anyone in such a state. He seemed a little wary of me helping him, but I still walked around him and stood, looking at his back. The shirt was defiantly soaked with blood.

"Will you take your shirt off?" I asked unabashed. The years spent in hiding included healing many people after outside attacks from Death Eaters or Malfoy's followers. I had seen and healed many men in less than a mere shirtless state, and once I entered into healing mode, it was easy to look at and touch a naked man shamelessly.

Malfoy however seemed unwilling to help me help him. He continued standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Or do I have to do everything for you?" I asked with some irritation in my tone.

He just shrugged and I huffed furiously. I didn't quite know what to do since no one had ever rejected help when it was so obviously needed.

Hesitantly, I placed my hands firmly on his arms by his shoulders. I ran my hands down his arms, trying to make him loosen up and drop his arms to his side. I took a step closer as my hands reached around him, pulling firmly at the crook in his arms. I might have been flush against him if I wasn't trying to keep from getting his blood all over me. He seemed to relax into my grasp and after only a moment, he let his arms fall to his sides. I immediately let go of his arms and grasped the hem of his shirt, pulling it up as carefully as I could so it wouldn't disturb the wound on his back too much. My hands occasionally brushed against his skin and although I had undressed countless other men simply for the sake of healing them, I found that there was something rather sensual about undressing Malfoy. This feeling was strange and unwelcome so I suppressed it as much as I could.

When I finally had his shirt off, which was heavy from the blood it had soaked up, I found an ugly deep cut spanning the length of his back, from his right shoulder to the lower left corner of his back. It was still bleeding, but not as heavily as it must have been before.

"What happened?" I gasped.

"I was hit with a curse Granger," he retorted as though this was obvious. His tone reminded me that this isn't the person I should ever feel pity for. He deserved this and worse for everything he'd done to innocent people.

"I need a wand to heal this," I said.

"Ha. If you think I'm giving you a wand you're dumber than I thought."

"We both know I'm not stupid Malfoy. Do you want this healed or not?"

"I didn't ask for your help Granger," he stated but not as tersely as before.

"Well you're getting it anyways. I'm not gonna have you bleed to death over here and then I'll somehow get blamed for it when your friends realize your dead and they know that my room is right next to yours. Now give me a wand."

He chuckled and slowly withdrew his wand from his pants pocket. I snatched it from him quickly before he could change his mind. I wasn't completely sure which curse he was hit with, but I knew of a few spells that might heal him.

"Let me know if this hurts," I stated and then murmured the first spell as I ran the wand down his back in the direction of the cut.

"Shit Granger," he ground out. Obviously that didn't help. I didn't need him to tell me that since the bleeding actually increased when I used it.

Not bothering to apologize, I quickly muttered the second spell and watched as the cut stopped bleeding and slowly closed up. There was a faint pink scar running down his back now, and my hand acting of its own accord lightly traced the scar down its length. Malfoy shivered slightly as my hand brushed his skin. Instead of lifting my hand, I continued tracing the scar, slowly increasing the pressure. Malfoy stood tense, hardly breathing.

"There's a scar here now, but I think it could disappear within a few months," I said softly. After a brief pause, I risked asking him what happened again.

He let out a deep breath. "A raid Granger."

Immediately thinking it could have been against my own side, I dropped my hand and stepped away from him.

He turned around to face me. His confident façade was just barely remaining on his face. "Death Eaters were everywhere Granger," he said in a slightly dazed voice. "I've never been so unprepared for a raid in my life. It was a complete failure." His voice was filled with shame and remorse. Upon hearing that the raid was against Death Eaters, I allowed myself to feel some compassion towards him.

"Well what happened?" I asked, allowing him to get whatever was bothering him off his chest.

He walked past me and sat on the end of his bed. "I planned the raid to expose Bulstrode and it worked on that front. I killed her so she's of no concern now but the location we told her, there used to be only four or five Death Eaters residing there. So I only brought eight or so people, my best fighters. But when we got there, dozens of Death Eaters were there to fight. I led my men to a slaughter." I never expected to see Malfoy showing genuine compassion towards anyone. Or remorse for his actions.

"Is everyone okay?"

"Everyone but Higgs. He's dead." His voice was dripping with regret, but not one to give way to his feelings, he still sat up straight and I wouldn't have guessed he was upset about something if I hadn't heard him speak. I could tell he didn't want to talk about any more particulars so I didn't ask any other questions.

"You should get some sleep Malfoy," I stated and he just looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite read. I felt awkward standing in the center of his room, in a short, thin night dress while he just looked at me. And I wished he would put a shirt on.

He opened his mouth, about to say something, but then changed his mind.

"Well goodnight Malfoy," I said and began walking towards the door.

"Wait a minute Granger," he said standing up.

"What?"

He didn't answer immediately, but walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out a clean black shirt. After pulling it over his head, he walked to a couch in the far corner of his room beside a full bookcase. He sat down and then looked at me expectantly.

He wanted me to sit there with him? What for?

Unsure of his intentions, I stepped closer hesitantly. I sat gingerly on the couch, putting as much distance between us as possible. Without a word, he stretched himself out on his stomach, laying his head in my lap.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I shouted almost pushing his head right off me.

"Be quite Granger. I need you to rub my back the way you did earlier," he said harshly. This was apparently hard for him to admit.

"What on earth for?" I asked, appalled at such a request from him.

"To calm down Granger. The minute you leave, I'll lose it again."

I understood his reasoning, but still rather wished he didn't ask this of me. Hesitantly, I placed my hand on his back. After letting it travel lightly down then up his back, he let out a deep breath and relaxed completely. I could feel his breath through the thin pajamas tickling my skin. The material was so thin, every time he blinked, I felt his eyelashes brush lightly against my thigh.

"And don't take this personally Granger. You're the last person I want comforting me right now."

I smiled lightly, somehow able to find this whole scenario mildly amusing. "And you're the last person I want to be consoling right now."

Silence ensued; all that could be heard was his breathing. I traced my hand over his back for what seemed like hours. I began only running my hand over his back, the same motion over and over again, but that evolved into running my hand over the back of his neck and then down his back. The first time I touched his neck, he shivered slightly. And after staring down so long at his blonde hair that looked so soft, I couldn't help but run my fingers through his hair. He sighed contentedly which compelled me to repeat the motion over and over again. I realized I didn't mind doing this for him; in fact I wanted to continue touching him.

He seemed to go in and out of sleep for awhile before finally nodding off completely. I was eventually feeling drowsy myself, the dim lighting of the room not helping matters much.

Not wanting to fall asleep here, I tried in vain to think of a way to get up without waking him up. I determined it had to be done, if he woke up then that would just be too bad. It would be better than waking up in the same place as him later.

I gently lifted his head, and when this didn't wake him up, I quickly swung myself off the couch, and laid him back down. He seemed a little disconcerted in his sleep, but turned on his side and returned back into a deep sleep. I had never seen him look so peaceful. I gave him a once over and noticed he still had boots on. I felt compelled to take them off for him. How comfortable can it be to sleep with boots on? But then again, since when am I concerned for Malfoy's comfort? I debated whether or not removing them was really a good idea since it was likely he would wake up, but I decided to remove them anyways. So what if he woke up? If he asks me to stay, I'll just say that's too bad.

I knelt down beside the couch and slowly began undoing the laces on both boots. Every few seconds I would glance at his face, making sure he was still asleep. As I removed the boots, I unfortunately had to move his feet a bit to get them off. After removing the first one, I took another look at his face and I was startled to see his eyes were open, but he looked out of it.

"Granger?" he said in a drowsy tone and I knew he wasn't completely awake.

"Yes?" I whispered.

"What are you doing there?"

"Taking your boots off."

He yawned and then his eyes fell closed again. "Ok Granger, come back to bed when you're done with that," he said, his voice trailing off at the end and he was in a deep sleep again.

_Come back to bed? _What an odd thing to say_. _I assumed he must have meant go to bed, but he was so out of it he didn't quite know what he was saying.

I gingerly picked up his other foot and slipped off the boot as quickly as I could. Seeing that it didn't wake him up, I stood up and walked back to my room, taking one last look at Malfoy's sleeping form before I shut the door.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

What happened on Saturday night in Malfoy's room became an almost nightly occurrence during the following week. After the failed raid, Malfoy was out for revenge and every other night he led another raid against the Death Eaters. Each raid was successful but he still came to my room every night.

The first night, I was coming out of my bathroom, ready to get into bed and was startled to see Malfoy lying there.

"What are you doing in here Malfoy?"

"Just here to tell you I led a successful raid this evening," he was all arrogance tonight. He had the smirk blaring full force.

"Uh…Congratulations?"

"C'mon Granger I know you're happy for me. Now come over here," he said rubbing the spot on the bed beside him.

"You can get off the bed, and then I'll get on," I said not taking one step closer. "And since when am I someone you want to share your victories with?" I questioned.

"Just come here Granger," he demanded ignoring my question.

"Get off the bed."

"Fine," he said and leapt off the bed.

He stood beside it until I had situated myself on the bed. Then he jumped right back on.

"For the love of God, Malfoy!" I shouted moving to get off. "Are we really going to play this game tonight? Just tell me why you're here without being such a prick!"

He sat up and grabbed my arms, holding me back on the bed. "But Granger that's part of my charm that I know you love so much."

I struggled for a moment before giving up. "Whatever Malfoy, I'm just not in the mood for your little mind games tonight. One day you're rude, the next you're decent, and then you're smarmy."

He chuckled as though this was exactly what he wanted. "Alright Granger," he said in a mock attempt to appease me. "Just lie back down and relax. I'll talk and you can listen."

He pushed me back so I was lying on the bed and I shot him a look, irritation etched in every line of my face.

He looked down at me, amused. "Fine Granger, I won't talk, but I'm not leaving yet."

I rolled my eyes. "Then what do you want?"

He didn't say anything and stretched out beside me on the bed. I turned my head and openly stared at him, but he ignored me. Silence ensued as I tried to think of something, anything to say.

"When are we going to start researching again?" I asked after a while.

He didn't answer right away. He turned on his side, facing away from me.

"Armand gets back on Sunday. So we'll start again next Monday."

Following his example I turned on my side, propping my head up with my hand. I stared at his back, confused by his behavior. One minute he was conceited and energetic, the next he was calm and quiet. I simply couldn't figure him out.

Suddenly, he reached behind himself, his hand searching for something until his hand came into contact with mine which was resting gently on the bed. He softly grasped my hand, pulling until it rested on his shoulder.

"Why Malfoy?" I asked, recognizing what he wanted.

"I'm stressed."

"I thought the raid was successful." He had let go of my hand, but I still kept mine on his shoulder.

"It was, but that doesn't mean it's not stressful."

"You can't find some other woman to do this for you?"

He avoided my question and responded with "Do this for me Granger and I'll let you out of your room tomorrow."

"Excuse me?" I said. "You've been keeping he holed up in here when it wasn't necessary?" I kept my voice even but I was livid. I hated being trapped in this room.

"Will you help me or not?"

Cursing him under my breath, I began rubbing his back. Why did this, of all things soothe him? I might have asked but I knew he would evade the question like he did most of the time I asked him a question.

I scooted a bit closer to him so I didn't have to stretch to reach him. Like last time, as much as I complained to him about doing this, I truly didn't mind. I liked the feel of his muscles on the wide plane of his back under my fingers. And when I remembered how soft his hair is, I ran my fingers through his hair at the base of his skull every so often. He relaxed under my fingers and there was some satisfaction in knowing that it took this, from _me_ to help him unwind.

He dozed off briefly but I kept running my hand through his hair and down his neck and back. When he woke up, he abruptly sat up a bit and turned his head to see me. He was clearly tired, but shot me a ghost of a smile and he got up and left my room.

The next day, he kept to his word and when I woke up there was a letter next to me on the bed stating that I could leave my room. I knew he was at home, but I didn't see him at all that day, or most of the following day. Not until he came into my room while I was reading in bed late at night. He walked in, and threw himself face down on my bed.

"Another raid?" I asked putting my book down.

He moved his head in an affirmative motion, as much as he could with his face shoved into a pillow.

"Did it go well for you?"

With another affirmative nod, I stopped questioning him. I didn't need to ask what he wanted from me, I merely sat up and began stroking his back.

Instead of returning to his room after awhile, he fell into a deep sleep. After realizing he wasn't going to wake up any time soon, I stopped rubbing his back and picked up my book, hoping he would wake up before I got too tired. But he just continued sleeping.

Rather than sleep in the same bed as him, I laid down on the couch to sleep. When I woke up a few hours later, it was still dark outside and he was gone. I happily returned to my comfortable bed.

The next two nights passed in a similar way. I wondered how long he could keep these raids up. He seemed more on edge every night and I assumed his followers must have been feeling the same way.

Every night there was no conversation. I determined this was a good thing. It was bad enough that I was doing something so personal for him and he was allowing me to see him while he was somewhat vulnerable. If we spoke to each other, the time we spent together might have turned into a far more intimate bonding time than necessary.

The night before he said we would be returning to the study to do more research on the Lady of the Lake, he showed up again after not coming to my room for two nights. When he came in I was already asleep, but feeling someone settling into the bed with me startled me awake. I was sleeping on my side, my back to the intruder. I picked my head up and glanced behind me.

"Malfoy?"

"Were you asleep, Granger?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yes, what time is it?" I asked groggily.

"Around one-thirty," he stated.

"You had another raid?"

"Yes."

"Successful?"

"Yes."

I laid my head back down on the pillow, desperately wanting to go back to sleep. I felt him shifting behind me on the bed and getting under the covers. And then, he nearly startled me out of my skin when he placed his hand high on my back, near my shoulder.

"Go back to sleep, Granger," he whispered dragging his hand down my back in one slow motion. I shivered and as he brought his hand back up, I let out an involuntary sigh of contentment. Sleep was now impossible. I reveled in the feel of his firm hand tracing my back, occasionally brushing his hand across my neck. When Ron and I were together years ago, and I laid in his arms and he would rub my back, it didn't feel as comforting as this. I tried not to think about the possibility that I could only be enjoying this so much because it was Malfoy touching me. That was a scary thought indeed.

Soon though, I was close to nodding off again. And just before I fell asleep, I heard Malfoy whisper, "Do you see why I want this every night?"

* * *

The following day, I woke up alone and Malfoy retrieved me from my room around midday. We were able to resume the research because Armand was finally back. When I entered the study with Malfoy, Armand ambushed me with a hug.

"Hermione, how have you been?"

"As great as I'll ever be while I'm stuck here," I said rolling my eyes as he let me out of the crushing hug. I picked up on the fact he now called me Hermione, like a real friend would. I was suddenly incredibly happy to see someone who wasn't Malfoy for the first time in weeks and someone who I could actually now consider a friend.

"How was your vacation?" I asked.

We began walking towards the pile of books we had been using on the large table of the study. Malfoy was already sitting at his desk, a scowl etched into his face.

"Amazing. The beach was beautiful and I'm so happy with Cecile. I did miss you a little though. Not too often I'll admit, Cecile kept me busy of course."

I laughed. "Well I'd hope she kept you busy."

We picked up our books and walked over to our usual corner. Zabini came in a few minutes later and immediately said to Malfoy, speaking across the room.

"I sure as hell hope you don't have any more raids planned in the near future."

Malfoy smirked, amused. "No, now that we're back to more important work here, I can let up on them a bit. We'll still need them about once every two weeks or so though."

"Yes, of course," Zabini said with a wave of his hand. "But you've been out of control lately Malfoy. I didn't want to say anything, but everyone's exhausted."

"I know, I know," Malfoy replied. "I only did that out of vengeance, and it had to be done. I can't chance appearing weak at any time."

"Well hopefully you've got your self-image back in check now. But no one thought you were losing your touch, man. I don't know how many times I need to tell you that." Looking at Armand, Zabini carried on. "Armand, you're so lucky you haven't been here the past two week's."

"I know, Malfoy told me about everything this morning," Armand replied.

Zabini had thrown himself a couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table in front of him.

"So where's Theo?" he drawled.

"He's with Greengrass. He should be here in an hour or so," Malfoy replied.

"He seems serious about her. How long do you think this'll last?"

"Well you know how he is…intent on something until he has it figured out. He's been with her longer than past women he's dated, but I think he'll be bored with her within the month."

"I don't know why he wastes his time," Zabini said. "He gets bored with them anyways so why not just use them and drop them immediately?"

Malfoy shrugged. "I don't know why he does what he does with women. He seems to like completely figuring them out and getting to know them but he hates long term relationships."

"Well that's one thing I can agree with," Zabini stated. They seemed completely unaware there was a woman sitting in the room who might take offense to their treating women like objects. But I kept my mouth shut on the issue and tried to tune them out, but it was impossible to concentrate with all their chattering.

Eventually, Malfoy returned to whatever work he was doing at his desk and Zabini selected a book from the table.

As Malfoy had said, Nott entered the study an hour later, seemingly pleased with himself.

"So how's Greengrass?" Zabini cooed.

"Shut up, Blaise," Nott shot back, walking to the table covered with books.

"So you're serious about her then," Zabini said.

With a small smile Nott replied, "Maybe," and Zabini snickered.

Malfoy stood up and walked around his desk to join Nott at the large table on the other side of the room.

He asked Armand, Zabini, and me to gather around the table too. We situated ourselves around the table similarly to the way we did when we first began this project, weeks ago.

"Alright Granger, what did you find prior to the last two weeks?" Malfoy asked in a business-like manner.

"Well, I hate to admit it but I haven't been able to find any information about her specific power. A lot of the information I found actually delved into Avalon more than her. I think her power is harnessed there so the most important thing right now is to find Avalon."

"Well then what've the rest of you found regarding potential locations?"

Nott spoke up first. "Well, Bardsey Island is mentioned in a few sources. It has apple orchards all over the island that Avalon is known for having, but aside from that, nothing points to it being Avalon's location. And The River Brue doesn't seem plausible since the river doesn't even form a lake any more. It's only speculated by couple of sources to be the location."

Zabini in one of his rare moments of deep thought said, "Well maybe that's a good reason it's the real location. Avalon's location was lost to everyone, perhaps when the magic of Avalon lost its connection with the rest of the world, the topography of the Earth changed to around its entrance. The entrance of Avalon was through some body of water, maybe that body of water has disappeared."

"Bodies of water don't just _disappear_, Blaise," Nott replied.

"I'm not saying it happened immediately, but over time. I'm assuming that Avalon lost its connection with the mortal realm of the Earth slowly and maybe the land around the entrance changed with it."

"Good point, Blaise. What else have you found on locations?" Malfoy asked.

"Well, Dozmary Pool has the widest reputation for being Avalon's location. There isn't much supporting evidence but it's the most accepted potential location," Zabini replied.

"That's strange," I said. "I wonder why that is?"

Zabini shrugged his shoulders and then Malfoy asked Armand what he found.

"The Loe is probably the second most popular speculated location of Avalon. Not much evidence pertaining to the legend, but according to locals, the lake does claim one victim every seven years."

Zabini laughed. "Yeah, maybe they capture women for their crazy sex rituals."

I rolled my eyes, but was slightly amused nonetheless. "You're so absurd Zabini. So what's the plan Malfoy? None of these places seem too promising, but it's all we've got."

Malfoy looked a little surprised at first that I was directly asking for his opinion, but how could I not? It was clear that he's the decider and what he says goes. We could all throw in suggestions which he would most likely take into consideration, but the final word was his.

"Well all we can do is guess at this point. We're going to have to go to all these places to figure out which location is the right one. It's just a matter of where to start."

"I think we should start at Dozmary Pool," Zabini said. "I mean, if most people think that's where it is, that has to have some merit right?"

Malfoy nodded. "I think that's a good starting point too. But let's not decide right away. Let's do a bit more research on the locations for another week or so before we make any decisions. I want more information on surrounding locations so we can plan how to do this."

We continued the research through Friday. On that day we determined that over the next weekend, we would take our trip to Dozmary Pool. I was surprised Malfoy was letting me go at first, but then I realized that if Dozmary Pool turned out to be the location, he would need me there. I was thankful that he didn't revert into his vicious treatment of me as he did before. He only paid attention to me when I spoke and aside from that he ignored my presence, but at least he remained civil. To my surprise, he showed up in my room every night, although there were never any raids. I usually walked to my room with Toussaint, got into bed and ten minutes later Malfoy would enter my room from his own. Nothing was ever spoken between us privately, no words seemed necessary at this point.

After the final long night of work, Malfoy walked me back to my room instead. As we wound our way through the halls, he said "You know Granger, you've really become quite indispensible to me."

"Oh really, Malfoy? How so?"

"You've proven to be more useful than anyone else working on this project. You have more input and better ideas. Not to mention when you saved my life recently and healed me after a raid. I dare say I've developed a concern for you through the process."

This was the first time we'd had any real conversation privately since he started showing up in my room almost every night, and this exchange was heading into dangerous territory. I also noticed that he left out how I had been comforting him every night. Apparently, and thankfully, that was unspeakable territory between us. But the words he said and the pleasant tone he said them in astounded me. My reply was another ambiguous question.

"And why is that Malfoy?"

"You've done well helping me Granger, that's why. If something happened to you I'd be crushed to say the least." It was difficult to tell whether his words were sincere or not.

"You're using me to achieve your own ends Malfoy, let's not forget that. Don't make those feelings seem more personal than they really are," I retorted.

"Oh Granger," was all he replied as he laughed and threw his arm around my shoulder like we were old friends and resumed walking down the hall. I gave him a queer look out of the corner of my eye, but allowed him to guide us to my room without questioning his behavior.

When we reached my room, he turned to face me.

"Granger, I have something for you. I think you'll really like it." He leered at me, and I was slightly creeped out.

"I highly doubt that. You've never done anything that I like, so I don't expect much," I said rolling my eyes.

"Oh, I can think of a couple of things I've done that you've liked," he said suggestively.

I blushed but stuck my chin up stubbornly, "I have no idea what you're referring to," I stated in clipped tones.

He smirked. "Well that's really beside the point right now. Let's go inside," he said dismissively and grabbed my hand to pull me into my room behind him.

"So what've you got for me Malfoy," I said pulling my hand out of his.

"Let's not be hasty," Malfoy replied.

"Malfoy, please, I'm really tired tonight. Can you cut the bullshit and just get to the point?"

"Oh well if you're too tired I guess you don't need what I have for you," he said nonchalantly and turned to leave the room.

"Malfoy!" I practically shouted, grabbing his arm to keep him put.

He laughed at my outburst. "Fine Granger, have it your way."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wand. _My wand_. I could hardly contain my joy.

"I think I can trust you not to turn on me now Granger. You've proven yourself worthy of getting this back," and with that he held it out for me to take. I snatched it greedily out of his hand, and stared at it in my own for a few moments, delighted to have it back.

When I looked back up at Malfoy's face, he seemed amused and pleased by my reaction. Without even thinking of what I was doing, I threw myself at him in a tight hug, flinging my arms around his neck. I heard him take a sharp intake of breath, and he hesitated a moment before wrapping his arms around my waist tightly.

"Thank you, Malfoy," I whispered and I felt his heart beating rapidly against my own chest.

The hug lasted longer than was probably necessary and when I stepped back, all traces of Malfoy's humor was gone. He was serious and stern again.

"I'll let you get ready for bed," he said in clipped tones and quickly left the room.

I probably shouldn't have hugged him but I could hardly be concerned about it at the moment. I was too thrilled at finally having my wand back. As I changed into my pajamas and got into bed, extinguishing all the lights, I wondered if Malfoy would come back tonight. I actually hoped he would.

He returned to my room nearly half an hour later and I was on the verge of sleep.

"Granger, are you too tired tonight?" he asked standing beside the bed.

I didn't answer, but I grasped the covers and pulled them down, inviting him in. I didn't care that I was dead tired, I just wanted him there. He readily obliged and turned on his side, facing away from me. I moved closer to him and carried out the same thing I did every night for the past week. The only difference tonight was that I fell asleep before him, and when I awoke the next morning, he was still in the bed with me.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

That morning, the first thing in my line of vision was Malfoy's sleeping face. We were so close I could feel heat radiating off of his body, yet not close enough that we were touching. His hand draped delicately over my arm, which was still flung out at my side, was the only part of his body that touched mine. I stared at his hand, spread out over my upturned arm, his thumb resting right in the center of my wrist. I felt an inexplicable pull towards this man. I felt a tingling in my stomach as I thought of how I wanted to move closer to him, to touch him. I wanted to feel his legs against mine, his chest against mine. I wanted his arm wrapped around me, instead of just his hand resting on mine.

Once I fully realized what I was thinking, these thoughts startled me out of the bed. I stood at the side of the bed staring down at him in shock a few moments before grabbing my wand and some clean clothes and escaping into my bathroom, suddenly desperate for a shower.

I desired Malfoy. This thought might have frightened me more, but I realized this had been building up for weeks now. Every night he came to my room added to the longing and only just now did I realize it. I immediately wondered if I was alone in these feelings or if Malfoy felt the same way. Perhaps that's why he came to my room every night. I couldn't help but hope briefly that he wanted me, but I immediately squashed that idea and would not permit myself to think about it again.

My shower was longer than usual; I was hoping I wouldn't have to face him right now. I put my dress slowly, thinking the longer I took in the bathroom, the more likely he would be gone by the time I left.

When I finally returned to my room, I was disappointed to see that he was still there. He appeared to be just waking up; he was moving to sit up on the side of the bed, his back turned away from me. Hearing me come in, he turned to look at me.

"Oh there you are Granger."

Pushing away every thought I had of my newly realized attraction to Malfoy, I decided to take a page out of his book and be downright rude towards him. That would be better than being kind and allowing these feelings to grow and take hold.

"Where else would I have been, Malfoy?"

He shot me a strange look and then he stood up, running his hand through his hair. He stood there silently for a few moments before turning around to face me.

"What are you still doing here Malfoy?" I questioned acidly.

He smirked and the look he gave me made me think he knew exactly what I was up to.

"Well, Granger," he started in his usual condescending tone, "I have something to ask of you."

"Well, what is it?"

"I'm having my weekly gathering of supporters tonight and I want you to come," he stated smirking.

"What for?" I asked shocked by the question.

He shrugged. "You're useful, Granger and you made a good impression last time I brought you out into my society. I'd like to see how you deal with this situation too."

"Well what in the hell kind of situation is this? You don't have some muggle torturing rituals at this thing do you?"

He seemed amused. "Of course not Granger, believe it or not, torturing people isn't high on my list of fun activities."

I scoffed at this and then he continued, "It's just a party Granger. People drink, talk, and dance. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Well I don't want to go. I don't like being around any of your followers," I stated.

"Well, that's just too bad Granger because you're going," he said as he moved away from the bed and stood closer to the door connected to his bedroom.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "As myself or as Mya?"

"Mya, of course. And you'll wear one of the evening gowns I bought for you," he said gesturing to my wardrobe.

"I haven't agreed to go yet Malfoy," I retorted.

He smirked. "That doesn't matter. You'll go because I said so. Be ready by nine." And with that he walked out of the room before I could get another word in.

I let out an exasperated huff. He was the most infuriating man I'd ever met. What could he possibly want me at that damn party for? I was at least relieved that he made it easy to forget my attraction towards him. After two words from his mouth I am infuriated by him.

I slipped a pair of shoes on and walked briskly to the library, still furious that I had to attend Malfoy's event tonight.

* * *

I spent most of the day in the library, occasionally going to the kitchens for food. I didn't see Malfoy for the rest of the day thankfully, not until he walked into my room right at nine.

He was in a black suit and wore a smirk on his face.

"You look nice, Granger."

I was wearing a sleeveless silver dress, of the softest silk imaginable, which fell to the floor. Even in my high heels, my feet were totally covered by the dress.

Not allowing the complement to get to me, I gave him a shrewd once over and replied, "So do you." Then I turned away from him to pick my wand up off the desk.

"Granger, you won't need that," Malfoy stated and I turned around to face him again.

"Oh really? I'm sure you didn't think I would need a wand last time you made me go out too," I replied referring to when I saved him from Mathis.

"There aren't any enemies here Granger."

"Not for you."

He rolled his eyes, and hiking the dress up a bit I sat down and strapped the wand to the calf of my leg. This was the downside to dressing up; there isn't any practical place to keep a wand.

Standing up I looked at Malfoy, and he was staring where my recently exposed leg was now back under the dress. He had a faraway away look in his eyes.

"Are you going to change my appearance now or not, Malfoy?" I questioned with feigned impatience startling him out of his reverie.

He blinked a few times before looking at me again, and with a concentrated look in his eyes, he transformed me into Mya Daray. He then offered me his arm and said, "Let's go Granger."

I walked to him and took his arm graciously allowing him to lead us to his party.

"So am I supposed to be your date again Malfoy?"

"Yes," he stated leaving no room for argument. I wasn't about to argue however. With Malfoy as my date I wouldn't have to watch him hitting on other women all night. The strange pang of jealousy I received from the thought of it made me feel disgusted with myself and I felt the urge to pull away from him.

I must have moved, subconsciously pulling against his arm because his grasp on my arm tightened as he asked, "Do you have a problem with that Granger?"

I looked up at his face, and he was looking down at me, smirking as usual.

"No," I stated in a cold tone after finding my voice.

He chuckled and then said, "Remember you're supposed to be American tonight."

"I know Malfoy," I replied tersely and then we continued to the ballroom in silence.

We were in the same room he brought me to when the Lestranges were here all those weeks ago. Tonight however, the large room was dimly lit and filled with seemingly over two hundred people, the party already well underway. The atmosphere was even livelier than Armand's wedding. Everyone was drinking, dancing, or eating the delicious looking finger foods.

"Are these all of your followers?" I whispered to Malfoy as we stepped into the room.

"No, of course not. This is only about half or so of my supporters living in England. And it's only a fraction of the number I have throughout the world."

I was truly amazed. For the first time I realized I was on the arm of the most influential and powerful man of the entire wizarding world, and I felt some pride at his asking me to be here, regardless of his reasoning.

All the men wore suits and the women were in oftentimes flashy, but expensive looking dresses. As we made our way through the room, people greeted Malfoy joyously, and Malfoy returned their greetings just as enthusiastically. We made our way to the top of the room, where there was a small table situated in the best section of the room. Close enough to the music with a good view of the rest of the room. A server appeared at the table instantly, leaving two glasses of champagne.

I sat staring out over the crowd, and stated, "They can't all be pureblood."

"No some are half-blood. None are in immediate relation with a muggle or mudblood though, but they might have mixed blood two or three generations back."

He paused briefly. "There are a few people you will need to know and remember Mya," he stated, swinging his seat around so it was next to mine and he looked out across the room too.

"Why should I need to know them? Is this going to be a regular thing?" I questioned.

"Perhaps. We'll see how tonight goes."

"Why?"

"This isn't the time for these questions Mya. Anyways…not all of the people fight for me of course."

"Some of them are just bought off." I stated.

He laughed, "If you want to put it that way, yes. So, some are influential people in the wizarding society who I've convinced to support me. Others are people I've hired to work in my offices throughout the country, and others fight for me. Only my most loyal supporters fight for me however. I don't trust everyone here enough to be as liberal with information as I am with my fighters."

I nodded, "That makes sense."

"So, do you see the man with black hair, standing with a woman in a red dress by the door there?" he asked.

Looking around, I finally spotted them. "Yes."

"They are Mr. and Mrs. Fletchley. New money in our world, he made his fortune through numerous questionable ventures, but he's the wealthiest man in England right now, which makes him very influential."

"Well what does he do?"

"Now, he presides over every wizarding bank in England and some in parts of Ireland."

"Impressive. I suppose any donations from him for you cause are helpful."

He laughed at my apparent stupidity. "Mya, does it look like I need any of his money? Not to gloat, but I'm the wealthiest of all the old pureblood families, and the second wealthiest in England. I only want him here because of his influence with others."

"Oh well excuse me Lord Malfoy," I replied sarcastically.

"Lord Malfoy? I like that Mya," he said smirking.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Well you'll never hear it again Malfoy."

"Draco," he said quietly.

"What?"

Leaning in closer he whispered, "Call me Draco. You're supposed to be my date so you should probably call me by my first name."

"Right of course," I mumbled embarrassed by my slipup.

He continued leaning close to me however as he went through numerous other couples in the room I ought to remember. He spoke in a low, deep voice close to my ear. To any onlooker, we must have looked like the perfect couple, completely engrossed only in each other. As he spoke of Mr. Ketler, and his new magical transportation methods enterprise, he laid his hand over mine which were sitting clasped in my lap. At this point I was so confused. My realized desire for Malfoy didn't make this easy, it made me question his actions. Did he put his hand over mine because he wanted to or because he's just playing his part convincingly? This would have been so much easier before. I would have just dismissed his action as part of the act.

Thankfully, I didn't allow myself to become flustered, but determined that I would play my part as convincingly as he played his. As he moved on to the next person, I removed one hand from under his and reached for the drink on the table beside me. At this movement, he placed his hand back in his lap, continuing his descriptions.

"Mr. and Mrs. Landling preside over the Young Pureblood Society, which teaches young pureblood witches and wizard's proper etiquette for society," he said pointing out two of the few people who appeared to be over fifty in the entire room.

I laughed. "That sounds like a load of bull."

"It's a very prestigious society Mya," he responded tersely.

"And were you a part of this society Draco?" I asked. And as I did, I slid my hand onto his thigh. He couldn't quite hold back the surprised look that appeared on his face as he looked at me questioningly. I returned his look archly and he got the point that this was part of the act. He looked pleased at the realization, now he knew I would take this seriously.

"Yes I was."

"Well, I haven't seen any impressive behavior yet that could generate any respect for that society," I replied, running my hand up and down his thigh slowly.

"Are you saying I'm not the perfect gentleman?" He asked as he placed his hand over mine, stopping it high on his thigh.

"Precisely."

And then he wrapped his hand around mine, twining his fingers though mine. His palm rested firmly against the palm of my small hand. We sat silently; apparently he was done listing the important guests.

"Well, well, don't you two look like the happy couple?" Zabini jeered as he appeared out of nowhere.

"Hey Blaise, how's it going?" Malfoy replied.

"Fine, I've just escaped my date. I made a complete mistake of bringing Kimberly Linke. She's a clinger," he said.

"That's rough, man."

"Yeah, she's a sexy piece of ass though, so it'll be worth it tonight."

Malfoy smirked and I rolled my eyes. "He wasn't part of the Young Pureblood Society too was he?" I asked.

"Damn right I was," Zabini replied. "Old Mrs. Landling loved me didn't she Draco?"

Malfoy laughed. "Yeah she did, you were he star pupil."

I made a slightly disgusted sound and then Malfoy asked, "So is Theo here with Greengrass?"

"Yeah, and he's officially whipped. Oh shit, there's Kimberly. I better go make it seem like I've been looking for her or there'll be hell to pay," and with that he ran off.

"Well Granger, we should probably stop being anti-social for awhile. I have to make my rounds, speak with the guests."

With that we stood up and proceeded to make our way around the room. Malfoy made his way through the groups of his followers and I followed as I knew he expected me to. I was introduced to everyone, but just like at Armand's wedding, I could hardly keep the names straight, aside from the ones Malfoy had pointed out earlier. I entered conversation as much as was necessary, but for the most part, I discretely studied Malfoy, struck by his ease with everyone. I was amazed that he could not only remember all these people, but personal things about them too. He was a truly great communicator, a dangerous talent for someone with such ideals as his.

After a short time, Malfoy didn't even have to move from his position in the room, people flocked to him, all seemingly eager to make a good impression with him.

One of the only older men in the room approached Malfoy and me at one point. He was short and squat, slowly balding and had a sort of squeaky voice. During the course of conversation he stated, "You're with a truly generous young man here, miss. He gives aid to so many charities, mine among them, for sick pureblood children."

Smiling politely I stated, "Oh that's wonderful. The pureblood children deserve so much help." Only Malfoy picked up on the slight insincerity in my tone because the old man continued smiling and went into further detail about his philanthropic work.

When he walked away, Malfoy chuckled and I turned to him.

"What's so funny Draco?"

"Nothing, you're a great actress really. He couldn't even tell he offended you by only offering help to pureblood children."

"Well, apparently I'm not good enough since you picked up on it," I retorted.

"Oh but that's only because I know you so well Mya," he said grabbing my hand, leading me to the dance floor.

He pulled me around to face him, wrapping his arm around my waist and I laid my other hand on his shoulder. The music was upbeat and we danced for quite awhile, speaking to each other very little. I felt comfortable with him, it felt natural.

"Do you want to get a drink?" he asked eventually.

I nodded, and he led us to the bar. But before we reached it, we were met by Armand and Cecile.

"Armand, Cecile…I'm happy you guys are here. Cecile, I haven't seen you since your wedding. How have you been?" Malfoy said.

"It's nice to see you too, Draco. I've been very well thank you," Cecile replied. "And Mya, how are you?" she then asked.

"I'm fine, thanks."

She then took a few steps closer to me and said softly, "Would you mind taking a walk around the room with me? There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Of course," I replied and we stepped away from Armand and Malfoy.

We walked silently for a few moments before she said, "I only pulled you aside to ask you this because I'm sure Malfoy makes a lot of decisions for you and I wanted to be sure you were okay with this idea before I bring it up with him."

She paused for a moment and I encouraged her to keep going. "Well I was thinking sometime during this week you and Draco could have dinner with Armand and me."

"That would be great," I said enthusiastically.

"Really?" she asked, some of her self-consciousness showing through.

"Yes, of course. It'd be great to finally talk outside of these circumstances," I replied in a tone that exposed my disdain at being here.

"So Draco does force you to come to these events?"

"Yes, it certainly wasn't my idea to be here."

She smiled. "Armand and I figured as much. I really hope he's not too hard on you."

"It all depends on his mood. One minute he's charming and the next he's a downright bastard."

"Well at least he seems pleasant tonight," she said.

"Yeah, but that's only because he has to be."

"That's true," she agreed. She began to say something else but was cut off by Pansy appearing at my side.

"_Mya_, nice to see you again," she said.

"You too, Pansy," I replied.

"Cecile, how are you?" Pansy then asked.

"I'm fine. How was your trip to Spain this past week?"

"Wonderful, it was probably the last really warm week of the year. I dread the upcoming winter."

"Were you staying with family?" I asked, wondering if by any small chance Ron might have returned there.

"Yes, with my cousins as usual. Unfortunately we had no other visitors during my stay there," she replied nonchalantly. I knew she threw in that last bit for my sake. She knew precisely what I wanted to know.

"Well, I'm going to find Armand," Cecile said, and with a few parting words from Pansy and me, she walked away.

"So what did Draco bring you for this time?" Pansy asked as we moved away from the most crowded section of the room.

"I have no idea. His reasoning is beyond me," I replied.

We sat down at a small table and watched the couples dancing.

"Have you heard anything from him?" I eventually asked.

"No."

"I wish I at least knew what he was doing. He left with almost no explanation; he just said it was necessary."

"I have no clue what he's doing either. All we can do is hope he's still alive and doing something useful," she said.

I nodded and I spotted Malfoy dancing with some woman I recalled him introducing me to, but I couldn't remember her name. Pansy was looking at them too apparently because she said, "Oh God, Draco's dancing with Willow Sprine. She's a complete slag, constantly trying to get Draco in the sack."

I laughed to hide the jealousy that coursed through me. "I can't believe she has to try. I was under the impression he would sleep with any woman," I stated.

"Oh no, Draco's very picky. He can have any woman he wants, so he only settles for the best. Not to mention the fact that he loses interest very quickly. If you don't have him hooked within the first few minutes, you've got no chance."

"You sound like the Malfoy expert extraordinaire," I joked.

"Well I probably do know him better than any other woman in this room; I am the only one who actually dated him. But it seems as though the two of you have gotten closer since the last time we spoke," she said with perceptive look.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh I saw the two of you why you first arrived. Sitting up there all nice and cozy," she said almost laughing at me.

"Oh please, Pansy. That's all part of the act," I retorted as I watched Malfoy begin to dance with another woman.

"What act Mya? He doesn't behave like that with any other date he brings."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh don't be so daft," she said waving her hand. "Every woman he brings to these events is just an accessory. He hardly shows any affection towards them, not like he does with you."

"Why would they all settle for being treated like objects?"

"Because they get to fuck him afterwards, that's why. He's the most powerful man in the world right now, not to mention drop dead gorgeous. Women would line up to be his date for one night."

"Unbelievable," I muttered and Pansy laughed.

I looked onto the dance floor again and saw that Malfoy was dancing with another different woman.

"Does that make you jealous Mya?" Pansy asked with an all-knowing look in her eyes.

For some reason, unable to lie I replied, "Yes it does a little."

She stood up and said, "Well then, let's go find our own men to dance with. Trust me, as soon as he notices, you'll have him back. It's almost too easy to make him jealous."

We made our way around the room briefly for the first attractive men we could find and then brought them out to dance with us.

Pansy was absolutely right. Within the first song, Malfoy had taken me out of the man's arms and into his own.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Malfoy whispered in my ear.

"Dancing, Draco," I replied with feigned innocence.

The arm he had around my waist pulled me closer and his hand tightened over mine. "Did I give you permission?"

"Since when do I need your permission to dance? Or to do anything for that matter?" I queried.

"_I'm_ your date Mya," he almost growled.

"And _I_ am yours. You didn't see me overreacting when you were dancing with other women," I stated, my temper slowly rising. I wasn't his property and I hated when he acted like I was.

"They all want me though Mya. You should be upset."

"Why should I give a damn about who wants you?" I retorted.

"Why don't you tell me?" he whispered, his breath tickling my skin.

"There's nothing to tell Draco," I purred in his ear. "I don't want you. Every other woman in the world could have you and it wouldn't make a lick of difference to me."

He pulled back slightly and looked down at me, his face holding an expression of anger. He stepped away from me completely, then grabbed my wrist tightly and led us back to the table we sat at earlier.

"It'll be two o'clock in about ten minutes and all the guests will be leaving then. We'll just stay here until then," he stated tersely when we sat down.

Apparently my comment really infuriated him, and for once, I actually felt sorry for hurting his feelings. Although before now, I wasn't even aware I was capable of that. Hoping to wipe the anger off his face, not only to ease my guilt but also to keep up the act of a couple, I laid my hand on his thigh gently. He seemed to understand my motivation for the action and laid his hand lightly on top of mine.

We sat in that manner until two o'clock when the room automatically brightened and the music stopped. Malfoy stood and shouted over the crowd, "Thanks for coming tonight everyone! I hope to see you all next week!"

Some people shouted goodbyes at Malfoy and when everyone had apparated from the room, Malfoy turned to face me.

"You can return to your room now if you'd like Granger. I'll be there soon."

I stood up and felt the urge to kiss or hug him in parting, but I just nodded and walked slowly to my bedroom.

After undressing and returning my appearance to its normal state, I went through my usual nightly routine before finally getting into bed half an hour later. Once I laid down, I realized how thoroughly exhausted I was.

Malfoy walked in a few minutes later from his room, wearing his usual loose pants and a black t-shirt. When he got into my bed, he didn't turn over so I could rub his back.

"Malfoy don't you –"

"Not tonight Granger. I just want to be here," he said cutting me off.

"Oh okay," I replied quietly, trying to subdue the damned butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

After a long stretch of silence, Malfoy said, "You were perfect tonight Granger."

"You weren't so bad yourself," I mumbled and I fell asleep a few moments later.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Unfortunately Malfoy declined Armand and Cecile's invitation to have dinner at their home in the upcoming week. Apparently he had a lot of planning to do considering our upcoming trip to Dozmary Pool, plus his regular leadership responsibilities so dinner with the Toussaint's had to be put off to another time. I hardly saw Malfoy over the next week since he was so busy. I actually stopped in his study one day offering to help him with the plans, but he just dismissed me and told me not to bother him while working ever again. Armand, Nott, and Zabini stopped by every so often also offering to help Malfoy but he rarely accepted. Clearly when something was particularly important to him, he needed to work alone.

Without Malfoy's permission I wandered around the grounds and the mansion whenever I wanted. Any time he saw me out of my room he didn't seem to mind though. On Thursday afternoon I was out at my usual spot in the garden reading when Armand joined me, looked peeved.

"What's got you ticked off?" I asked setting my book down.

"I'm not going with you guys to Dozmary Pool tomorrow."

"What? Why not?" I asked. This upset me too since he was the only one I could count on to be friendly towards me during the entire trip.

"Well somebody needs to stay in the Manor while Malfoy's away. Plus his weekly party is on Saturday night which he won't cancel because he thinks canceling it will only lead people to think something too important that they don't know about is happening. So I'm supposed to host it with Cecile and I'm to tell everyone that he's in the United States visiting with your – or I mean Mya's family."

"That's awful. Aren't they going to question his sudden devotion to one girl though?"

"I asked him that too, which sort of irritated him I think. He just said that he didn't have to explain his personal relationships to anyone and then dismissed me."

"Strange. I can't even understand why he's insistent on taking me to more of those events."

Armand shrugged and seemed to avoid eye contact with me. "I have no idea." He looked at his watch and said, "Well I've got to go. I'm supposed to meet Flint and Pucey in London in a few minutes."

"Alright, I'll see you in a few days then," I replied as he stood up.

"I hope everything goes well for you this weekend," he said and then apparated.

* * *

The following evening I sat in the study with Nott and Zabini, listening to Malfoy's plan.

"So I wanted us to blend in there and since it's surrounded by a muggle community, I booked rooms at a muggle inn a short distance from the lake," he said.

"A _muggle_ inn?" Zabini asked appalled by the idea.

"Yes, if I can handle it you can too Zabini," Malfoy replied.

"That's so rudimentary," Zabini mumbled.

"You're going to be eating and sleeping there Zabini, you don't exactly need the most fancy, magical hotel for that," I said.

"Nobody asked for you opinion Granger," Zabini retorted.

"Both of you shut up," Malfoy said scowling. "So, we are going to apparate about a mile away from the inn to an open field and we'll walk to the inn from there. If anyone asks why we are there, our story is that we are just a group of friends taking a short vacation over the weekend."

"Friends? That means you'll have to behave Granger," Zabini said sharply.

Before I could respond, Malfoy cut in, "Knock it off, Blaise."

Zabini shot him a strange look but then shrugged his shoulders and sat back in his chair.

"Anyways, we'll spend all of Saturday and Sunday trying to figure out if the lake is Avalon's location and we'll come home Sunday night."

"Sounds good. So are we leaving now?" Nott asked.

Malfoy looked out the window before responding, "Yes, I think its dark enough we can apparate without being seen. We'll have to do side-along apparition since I'm the only one who knows exactly where we are apparating to," he said and Nott, Zabini, and I all stood, picking up the small bags we brought which were filled with clothes and other necessities for the next two days. He transported Nott first and then came back for Zabini. When each of them went, they grasped Malfoy's outstretched forearm tightly and then they disappeared. When Malfoy returned for me, he said, "I hope you're excited for this Granger." He picked up his own packed bag and moved towards me.

"I am," I replied and it wasn't a lie.

Expecting him to lift out his arm for me to hold onto, I began lifting my hand in his direction. Instead, his arm swept around my waist and he pulled me to him tightly. I gasped and looked up at him to see that he was smirking roguishly back at me.

An instant later, I was standing in the middle of a field with Nott and Zabini a short distance away. Malfoy quickly stepped away from me and began leading the way to the town whose lights were visible from our distance. We walked through the cold night silently until finally entering the quaint little town. Many of the buildings were old, but they were kept in nice shape. Soon we stopped in front of a building that just looked like a larger version of all the other houses around it.

"Is this it?" Zabini asked disgustedly.

"Yes," Malfoy said and walked up the porch steps and through the front door. We followed him inside into a small, homey foyer. A light hum of voices could be heard from somewhere further inside. We were about to move further into the building but then we were met by a pretty young woman with long dark brown hair, who appeared to be around our age.

"Ah, are you here for a room?" she asked. She seemed a little out of breath.

"Yes," Malfoy replied.

"I'm sorry, but all of our rooms are filled for tonight unless you have a reservation. There's another inn on the other side of town that might have vacancies."

"We have a reservation actually. I'm Draco Malfoy, I came in here a few days ago and you booked me the three rooms remaining this weekend," Malfoy replied in a surprisingly civil tone considering he was talking to a muggle.

"Oh right, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. I see so many people in one day it's hard to remember faces," she said smiling.

"That's alright," Malfoy said.

"Well I'll show you to your rooms," she said scanning the rest of the group and unless it was just my imagination, her eyes lingered a second longer on Zabini who was looking around the room apprehensively.

We walked up multiple flights of stairs, until reaching the top floor and she handed Malfoy the three keys. "Your rooms are thirty-three, thirty-four, and thirty-five. I should warn you though, that whoever takes thirty-three, an old man who snores terribly has been staying in room thirty-two for the past week and he'll be here for the rest of the weekend. Everyone else who's stayed in thirty-one and thirty-three has complained about him."

All three of the men seemed at a loss of what to say and Zabini looked down the hall at room thirty-three in dismay. "Thanks for the warning," I said.

She smiled and turned to walk away. At the stairs she stopped and abruptly turned back around. "Oh I almost forgot. Dinner is still being served downstairs if you're hungry, it'll be there until nine or so. And my name is Holly if you need anything." Then she disappeared down the stairs.

"I can't believe you brought us here Malfoy," Blaise sulked.

"Oh suck it up, man," Malfoy replied giving a key to both Nott and Zabini. Looking at the number attached to his key, Zabini gasped out loud.

"No way, man! Absoloutely not! There's no way I'm staying in thirty-two." And he held his key out expecting Malfoy to take it back and trade with him.

Nott and Malfoy laughed at him and ignored his further protests.

"Well Granger, where do you want to stay? You have the choice of sleeping with whoever you want," Malfoy asked watching me closely. I had the strange idea that he wanted me to pick him, and of course, of all my choices I would choose him. I'd already slept in the same bed as him a couple times now, not to mention I was more comfortable around him than the other two. But I didn't want to voice any preference I had towards him, so I said, "I'm going in thirty-five and whoever has that room is who I'm stuck with." I walked to the room and seeing it wasn't latched shut, I entered.

It was small and the bed took up most of the space. There was enough room for one person to move around comfortably, defiantly not two. There was a small dresser and a television sitting on top of it. A single chair was in the corner of the room by the foot of the bed. The bathroom was hardly more than a cupboard, the shower, sink, and toilet all squeezed into the room uncomfortably. I placed my bag down on the thin, light blue bed comforter and someone opened the door behind me.

I turned around and couldn't quite keep the smile off my face at seeing Malfoy in the doorway.

"Looks like you're stuck with me, Granger," he said as he stepped into the room and put his bag down on the chair.

"And you're stuck with me," I replied grabbing a book from my bag. "I'm going to see what they have for dinner tonight." I paused briefly. "You want to come?"

"I'll be down in a bit," he said. I nodded, and then I left the room. As I walked to the stairs, I heard Zabini cursing angrily in his room. I walked to his door and knocked.

He threw the door open furiously. "What do you want?" he snarled.

I almost laughed, I desperately wanted to, but I kept myself composed. "I could hear you yelling. What's wrong?"

He stepped away from the door and laughed without a trace of humor. "_What's wrong? _Look at this place?" he said and I stepped into his room. It was exactly the same as mine except for the green comforter on the bed. "It's a hovel. I've never seen anything like it in my life. The bed looks like it can hardly fit a grown man, the bathroom is like a cell and what in God's name is _that_ supposed to be?" he ranted, pointing at the television.

"It's a television, Zabini," I stated thoroughly amused by his antics.

"A television? It sounds absurd. I mean it's just a black box, what's the point?"

"I'll show you," I said and I turned it on for him. It lit up and he furrowed his brow at the people moving on the screen.

"What do you do with it?"

"You watch it."

"That's ridiculous," he said but he moved to sit on the edge of the bed apparently transfixed by it.

"Whatever Zabini, I'm going to get something to eat now."

"Yeah, ok," he said distractedly and I left his room laughing.

I went down to the first floor and walked to the back of the building where I heard a large congregation of voices. I entered a decent sized dining room which was almost completely filled. There was a wide variety of people there, from really young to ancient. I weaved my way through the tables and claimed one for my own with three other chairs around it in case any of the guys came down. I then went to the long buffet table along the back wall of the room. There were so many foods all of which appeared to be homemade. I filled my plate with as much as I could and returned to my table. When I began eating, Holly stopped by my table.

"Is there anything else you need from the kitchen? Would you like a drink?"

"Yes please, I'll have some water."

"Sure thing," she said and on her way to the kitchen, she paused by other tables picking up dirty plates or asking if anyone else needed a drink. I ate heartily, the food was surprisingly delicious. None of the guys came down to eat, not even Malfoy who said he would. When I finished, I left the room and walked to one of the adjoining sitting rooms that had numerous couches, large comfy chairs, and a crackling fire. I settled into one of the chairs near the fire and read my book. There were quite a few other people in the room reading or speaking quietly to their friends and family. In the next room over, I could see a small group of people playing cards.

I became so engrossed with my book that I didn't even realize I was the only person left in the room close to midnight. Not until Holly entered the room, startling me out of my concentration.

"So you're a night person too, eh?" she said.

I looked over to the doorway to see her standing there with a duster in hand.

"Sometimes. I didn't even realize how late it was," I replied.

She came over to where I was sitting and sat down on the couch across from me, letting out a sigh.

"You look exhausted," I said.

She smiled. "I am. I've only just started working here a couple of weeks ago and it's been tough getting used to it. I've never been so busy in my life."

"What made you choose this job anyways?"

"Well I'm at university now, but I'm taking a year off to make some money so I can afford it. I came here because my grandma owns this place, she's been running it all her life and she offered me a job."

I was about to reply when I heard my name from the doorway.

"Granger is that you over there?"

I looked over to see Zabini entering the room.

"Yes, what are you doing down here?"

"I couldn't sleep. I turned that television off to go to sleep and within two minutes all I could hear was that old man so then I couldn't sleep. It's unbelievable how loud he is," and he sat on the same couch as Holly.

"I warned you about that," Holly said.

Zabini gave her a cold look out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah well giving me a warning doesn't exactly stop it from happening."

She turned a little red and I wanted to smack him for being so rude. "Well suck it up Zabini," I said a bit harshly. "At least you've got the whole bed to yourself. I don't even know how Malfoy and I are going to fit."

"Oh don't even try to act so upset Granger. I know how happy you really are to be sharing a bed with Draco."

"I am not, you're out of you're mind."

"Yeah you keep telling yourself that," he said.

I didn't quite like where this conversation was headed so I faked a yawn and said I was going to bed.

"Ha. Enjoy yourself Granger, I know you will."

I glared at him for a second before saying goodnight to Holly.

"'Night. Oh but before you go, breakfast is served between seven and ten," she replied kindly.

"Okay, thanks," I said and I went to my room, leaving Zabini and Holly alone. I was surprised I didn't immediately hear Zabini make an excuse to leave so he wouldn't be left alone with a muggle.

When I got to my room, Malfoy was already asleep. He was burrowed under the thin covers and his feet were almost hanging off the bed. It was cold in the room and I couldn't understand why until I looked at the small window and saw that it was slightly opened. I tried to close it but apparently it was stuck in this position. He had put my bag on the floor beside the chair his own bag was sitting on top of. I dug through it as quietly as possible for my pajamas and toothbrush. Changing in the tiny bathroom was almost impossible. When I went in there and closed the door behind me, it felt like the walls were closing in on me.

When I returned to the main room, I laid my dirty clothes aside, turned out the lights and then got into bed, placing my wand on the night stand beside me. Under the covers I became instantly warm, mainly because of Malfoy's body heat. We were sleeping much closer to each other than normal since the bed was so small and I tried not to feel any sense of intimacy.

_That's just stupid_, I thought to myself. _He's asleep, these feelings have got stop_.

But they didn't because Malfoy turned over onto his back and drearily mumbled, "Granger?"

"Yes," I whispered after a moment.

He didn't say anything else but he moved closer to me, although that didn't take much since the bed was so small. He got his arm around my shoulders and shifted me so I was turned to him. He managed somehow to get me to move my leg over his and one my arm's was thrown across his stomach. I was splayed across him so comfortably that I couldn't even fathom moving.

"It's so cold Granger," he murmured.

"I know," I whispered and snuggled as close as possible trying to warm him up.

He sighed contentedly and his thumb traced patterns over my shoulder briefly before he fell asleep again. I wanted him desperately at this point. I couldn't even control the thoughts in my head. All I thought of was having him until I eventually fell asleep ashamed of my thoughts and unsatisfied.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

At breakfast the next morning, the only one of us who appeared well rested was Nott. Malfoy and I had a somewhat uncomfortable night; both of us woke up every couple of hours because of the cold. When Zabini showed up, he looked dead to the world.

"Woah, man. What the hell happened to you?" Nott asked as Zabini joined our table.

"Well, I couldn't sleep with that man snoring so I went downstairs and found Granger talking with Holly. But Granger left me alone with that muggle and she taught me some card games, which lasted until almost four," he said trying to sound irritated by the last bit.

"Oh please, you wouldn't have put up with it if you didn't enjoy it," I said and he glared at me.

"Then, I tried going to sleep again but that goddamn old man was still snoring. So I laid there for two hours, until he finally got up at six. I got a whole three hours of sleep," he complained.

This seemed to amuse Malfoy so Zabini practically yelled at him, "I could kill you for making me deal with that. You just had to give me room thirty-two didn't you?"

"Keep it down Blaise, you're attracting attention," Malfoy said as he continued eating his breakfast. Zabini wasn't really attracting any attention at all, Malfoy just wanted to avoid further confrontation. The rest of breakfast passed peacefully, with Zabini in a daze and Nott carrying most of the conversation for once. At one point though, Holly stopped by our table breaking Zabini out of his reverie.

"Morning everyone," she said with a smile. "Did you eventually get to sleep last night Blaise?"

Zabini hardly looked at her, as though embarrassed, saying "Yeah, eventually."

Her cheeks darkened in embarrassment that he didn't seem to want her to speak to him so with a now apparently forced smile she said, "Well enjoy your breakfast," and hurried away from the table.

I might have commented on his rudeness, but once she left the table Zabini looked up from his plate and his eyes followed her around the room for awhile with an almost painful expression.

We left the inn for the lake about an hour later walking through open fields for almost a mile before coming upon the lake. Luckily there were hardly any muggles around, a few passed every once in a while so it was easy to perform the magic we thought was necessary to discover if this was the location. We learned dozens of ancient spells that were used when Avalon still had a strong connection with the rest of the world. We spent hours walking around the lake, trying the spells in different areas, speaking the incantations every way we knew how. It was close to sunset when we began making our way back to the inn for dinner. We were all frustrated and hungry; not a good combination.

Nott and Zabini walked ahead of Malfoy and me, arguing intensely about God knows what. They were just taking their frustration out on each other. Malfoy and I walked together some distance behind them. We walked close to each other; our arms would occasionally brush sending me into a silent sort of agony because I just wanted to reach out to him. Malfoy had been legitimately kind to me all day. He always asked for my input and didn't put me down if he didn't agree. He asked for my opinion again as we made our way up the hill to the inn.

"So what do you think Granger? Is this the location?" Malfoy asked.

"No, I'm certain it's not," I replied.

"I'm a little skeptical too. I wonder if there's anyone around here who might know anything about the legend, or about why this lake is believed to be the location."

I thought for a moment and then said, "We could ask Holly about it. Her grandma owns this place so she might know something about it."

Malfoy shrugged, apparently not too keen on asking a muggle for help, but he said, "I guess we can ask her if she knows anything."

When we arrived at the inn, while Nott and Zabini went to get a table, Malfoy and I searched for Holly, finding her on the third floor cleaning. When she noticed us approaching, she said, "Can I help you with anything?"

"We were just curious about something," Malfoy began. "We heard that this is believed to be Avalon's location. We know it's just a story, but we were wondering how much you know about the legend of Avalon's location being here?"

"Oh I've learned quite a bit about Avalon from my grandma. She finds the story fascinating and it's the main reason why she opened the inn here. There are some things around the lake that have some connection to the story, they probably don't mean anything, but I'll show them to you if you'd like."

"Yes, that'd be great," I said. "You'll come with us to the lake after dinner, yeah?"

"Sure. It's better to see them at night anyways."

"Okay we'll come find you in an hour or so then," Malfoy said.

She nodded and returned to her cleaning as Malfoy and I went to the dining room.

"You know I still don't think this is the place." I said. "I doubt she'll be able to show us anything that's really convincing."

"I'm getting that feeling too, but I'd rather be completely sure before giving up on it," he replied.

An hour later, after a large dinner, we were back outside walking to the lake, this time with Holly in tow. I tried to gauge Zabini's reaction when he saw that she was coming with us, but he kept his emotions hidden. I did notice that he kept his distance from her and he didn't speak as often as usual. His behavior was bizarre; who was Zabini to be affected by a woman?

It was pitch dark by the lake, except for the flashlight Holly brought. She led us to the farthest side of the lake, speaking every once in awhile to watch our footing at certain places. It took us a good amount of time to make our way around the edge, and there were times I felt as though we were being watched. I convinced myself I was just being silly, allowing myself to be affected by the dark. Despite this, I instinctively moved closer to Malfoy who I was walking beside once again.

He picked up on my sketchy behavior and whispered, "What is it?" He sounded concerned.

"It's nothing, just a strange feeling I had," I replied softly.

"That someone's watching us?" he said in an even lower voice, closer to my ear.

"Yes," I said.

"I've got that feeling too. Don't worry though. Keep alert and you'll be fine," he replied.

Eventually Holly stopped, flicked off her flashlight and told us all to stand around the edge of the lake. Looking into the water, there were stones that appeared to be glowing lining the edge. It was certainly a sight to behold, but there was nothing in the legend about some bizarre glowing stones; I was rather disappointed.

"The locals have been saying for decades that these stones glow with the magic left over from Avalon which was one located here. There isn't anything about glowing stones in the legend, but many people take this as some sort of sign," Holly said, sounding doubtful of the reasoning.

Nott bent down and picked up a stone and out of the water, it didn't shimmer at all. It looked like a normal rock. "There must be some sort of chemical in here or in the water that makes the stones shimmer in the water," he said and threw it back into the water causing it to shimmer again.

"It's strange that they are only in this section of the lake. If it was due to magic you'd think they would line the entire edge," Malfoy said.

At this point, I heard movement from the small cluster of trees behind me. We all turned around, but couldn't see anything. Malfoy placed his hand on my arm. "Don't move," he whispered and took a few steps forward.

A deafening silence ensued, before a burst of red light shot from the trees in Malfoy's direction. He blocked it easily as a dozen cloaked figures wearing masks ran out of their hiding spots towards us, shouting curses.

Holly screamed just as a curse hit her, sending her to the ground unconscious. Malfoy, Nott, and Zabini were shouting the killing curse into the night, trying to stop as many of the Death Eaters in their tracks as possible. I sent stunning curses, still unwilling to us an unforgivable curse. Our spells only hit two of them and in no time they had us surrounded.

"Granger, can you handle yourself?" Malfoy shouted over the noise.

"Yes!" I shouted back, as I blocked a curse headed right at me. Even in this situation, I was insulted that he doubted me.

"Then you come with me, we'll take them in pairs. Blaise, Theo, you take them from the left and Granger and I will go from the right, got it?"

"Got it," they replied and on the count of three we split up. After some struggle, we gained the upper hand over the Death Eaters. They outnumbered us but I was with three of the greatest fighters in the entire wizarding world and soon we had the upper hand. It seemed as if nothing could stop them once they got started, and to be on par with them, I pushed myself more.

When there was only on Death Eater left standing and the rest were dead, Malfoy shot a curse at him, knocking him off his feet. Malfoy stalked over to him, gripped him by the collar of his cloak and lifted the man so he was on his knees in front of him.

He ripped his mask off. "How did you know we were here?"

The man was much older than we were, but he was visibly terrified of Malfoy.

"We have a house on the other side of that hill," he said nodding his head to the left.

"Is there anyone else up there?"

He shook his head, cowering.

Malfoy seemed to relax slightly as though he would back off and let this man go.

"I would let you go, but I can't let Voldemort get any ideas about why we came here. You understand don't you?" Malfoy said mockingly. His tone was terrifying.

"Please, sir. Please have mercy," the man said, his voice breaking.

Ignoring the man's pleas, Malfoy shot him square in the center of his chest with the killing curse, and the man's body crumpled.

Malfoy turned around and searched until his eyes met mine. We gazed at each other for an immeasurable amount of time, until we heard Zabini say, "Holly! Holly, can you hear me?"

I turned around to see Zabini kneeling over Holly who was still knocked out by the edge of the lake. The rest of us joined him around her body and Nott knelt to search for a pulse.

"She's still alive," he said. "She's been knocked out though. We should take her with us."

"Take her with us? We can't do that. She's seen enough already," Malfoy said.

"We can obliviate her once she comes around," Nott replied standing up and Malfoy conceded.

"Fine, but we've got to leave now, before someone shows up here because of all the noise we made."

Zabini picked Holly up and then we all apparated to Malfoy's study.

Landing in Malfoy's study, I was suddenly exhausted and I collapsed onto the couch, and Malfoy settled into it a moment later on the other side. Nott and Zabini remained standing, each of them determining what they would do now.

"I'll take Holly to my place," Zabini said. "Once she comes around, I'll make sure she's alright then I'll take her back to the inn."

"Don't forget to obliviate her," Malfoy said.

Zabini nodded then apparated.

"Is there anything you'd like me to do right now Malfoy?" Nott asked.

"No nothing I can think of, thanks though. You can go home too if you want,"

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow yeah?"

"Yeah, lunch in London as usual," Malfoy responded.

Then Nott apparated to his home and Malfoy and I were left alone. We sat in silence for awhile, before Malfoy said, "Granger?"

"Hmm?"

"You were amazing tonight," he said in a low voice and I turned my head to look at him straight on, to see that he was looking at me with hooded eyes and a coy smile. I slid closer to him on the couch, until I was right next to him. The movement felt involuntary, it was more like being pulled in his direction.

With hardly a moment's hesitation, I leaned into him and kissed him. He seemed to hesitate, but when I leaned in further, he let out a deep moan and placed his hand on my thigh, as he turned towards me, deepening the kiss. He pulled me into his lap and I lifted my arms, placing them around his neck and ran my hands through his hair, gripping it tightly in my fingers. He ran his hands firmly down my back and they landed on my hips, pressing me against him and I enjoyed the friction.

He removed his lips from mine and kissed along my jaw and neck. He nipped my ear and asked "You really want this, Granger?"

My eyes widened in surprise. I was shocked not because I suddenly realized what I was doing, oh no, it was too late for that. I knew what I was doing and I wanted it desperately. I'd wanted it for too long. No, I was amazed that he wasn't just taking what he wanted without considering.

"Yes," I said as he lightly sucked on my neck, causing me to moan softly, cutting me off briefly before I could continue. "Do you?"

He pulled back to look at me and his eyes were darker than I'd ever seen them. "You have no idea."

And with that he laid me down on the couch and he placed himself between my legs. He lifted my leg and wrapped it around his waist, pressing his body as firmly against mine without crushing me. I arched under him, wanting to pull him even closer than was really possible. I moaned as his mouth left mine and he kissed my neck. I pulled at his black shirt that was tucked into his pants and began unbuttoning it as quickly as I could with shaking hands as he continued kissing down my neck, reaching the top of my breasts. His hands slid under my blouse exploring my stomach as he kissed and nipped at my breasts through my shirt that now needed to be removed immediately.

Luckily he too came to that decision and in two seconds he had my shirt unbuttoned and thrown to the floor with my bra there with it. He paused a moment and gazed in admiration at my now topless form before latched his teeth onto my nipple, lightly biting and I was in a writhing state beneath him. One of his hands was gripping my hair and the other was driving me crazy rubbing against me through my jeans. I felt certain that I really couldn't wait anymore.

I tore at the button of his pants and pushed them down as far as I could and he thankfully obliged me by pausing to remove them completely and in one motion had removed the rest of mine as well. He gazed at my body longer than I really thought was necessary and I felt myself growing pink under such scrutiny. Not only because I couldn't help but feel mildly uncomfortable, but also out of slight agitation that he was so blatantly staring at me like I was a piece of meat. Maybe this was a bad idea if all it would be to him was a quick fuck without even considering who it was with.

But then he caught my eyes and they held a gentle expression that I was never expecting to see. I didn't quite understand the reason for it, but at least I was reassured that I wasn't just a piece of female meat.

He leaned back over me and captured my lips in a soft kiss. Soft, but certainly passionate. He cradled my face in his hands and slowly teased my lips open, coaxing my tongue out to meet his. I could feel his penis brushing against me and it was driving me insane. He had to be able to tell how wet I was so what was he waiting for? Not that I didn't enjoy what he was doing right now...

He kissed his way down my neck again and then proceeded to kiss and nip at every inch of my body. He reached my hip bone, and swirled his tongue once over the ridge and nipped at it as he dipped two of his fingers into me. I caught a slight smirk as he did this, but I didn't care what he thought. I was in a delirious state under such attention. He kissed the tops of my now trembling thighs lightly, drawing his fingers in and out slowly. If he didn't get on with it, I thought I would go insane. I needed more than his fingers right now.

"You are very, very...ready," he said as he slithered back up my body, kissing me again.

"You think?" I retorted and he smirked. He was positioned against me and he seemed to be waiting, as if to tease me some more. I gave him a look that said what are you waiting for? and he entered me.

Once he finally settled between my legs with the first deep long stroke, I moaned deeply and he growled as he bit down on my earlobe. He now lost all previous control. His breathing erratic and every few seconds I would hear a low moan against my ear. I knew that I too was making constant mewing sounds, clawing at his back to both bring him closer and draw him in deeper. My legs locked around his waist and I met him with every thrust. He was losing his control faster and faster, and seeing him in such euphoria brought me right to the edge and over. He followed suit immediately after, once he was certain I had my fill first.

I don't know what I expected after, but I didn't expect him to pick up his wand and widen the couch before laying down with me again, pulling me close so he could cradle me against his chest. I didn't see Malfoy as the cuddling type.

I was couldn't deny I was pleased and I hesitated to say what I had to.

"Malfoy...I should really uh...clean up first," I murmured.

Without a word he let go of me and before I could move, he reached out for his want again and with the flick of his wand we were both perfectly clean. I smiled. "Thanks."

He returned my smile with a small one, and I then took him into my arms and he laid his head on my chest, allowing me to lightly stroke his neck and back until we fell asleep.

* * *

When we awoke, the sun was completely up and it seemed close to midday. I reveled in the feel of his body against mine for a moment but a split second later, everything I did last night rushed back to me and I was instantly ashamed.

"Malfoy get off of me right now!" I shouted

"Control the volume Granger, that was right in my ear!"

I pushed against his shoulders and he smirked.

"What's with the sudden change of heart?"

"Don't talk to me," I said as calmly as possible throwing on my clothes that were strewn across the floor beside the couch. Once I was fully dressed, I faced Malfoy to see him already dressed and smirking at me.

He moved closer to me, "But I want to talk to you Granger."

"Well that's just too bad, because I'm never speaking to you again unless it's necessary," I replied taking a few steps back.

"Actually, I want to hear you purring in my ear again the way you were last night," he continued in a low voice, ignoring my last statement.

My pulse quickened at his words, as details of last night were brought to mind. "You disgust me, Malfoy," I said and the words did not sound convincing.

"Is that so?" Malfoy queried smirking. "Well I –."

He was cut off by the clock chiming twelve o'clock and he instantly backed off, looking at his watch to double check the time.

"Oh shit, I'm supposed to be at lunch with Blaise and Theo right now. Shit."

He hurried to get his shoes on and then ran his hands through his hair trying to straighten it out. He picked up his wand off the coffee table and was about to leave when I hurriedly said, "Wait!"

"What?"

"You can't tell anyone what happened," I said.

"Whatever Granger," he replied and I grabbed onto his arm to stop him.

"I'm serious Malfoy. I don't want anyone to know," I said practically pleading with him.

"Fine Granger, I won't say a thing."

"Good," I said relieved and I let go of him.

"Oh, and be here at nine tonight. We'll need to tell Armand about the trip and plan what our next move is."

He then disappeared and I left the room returning to my own to take a much needed shower. I spent the whole day alone, trying to focus on anything but last night, but of course that was impossible. I was so angry with my actions, for letting Malfoy have me. Draco Malfoy, the upcoming evil ruler of the world and infamous womanizer. What the hell was I thinking? By the time I returned to the study that night, I had vowed to never let anything like last night happen again. Ever.

All the guys were in the study by the time I got there, sitting around the coffee table. I wanted to keep my distance from Malfoy, but the only seat left was the spot next to Malfoy on the couch. I sat down silently, since Malfoy was in the middle of telling Armand about our trip to Dozmary Pool. He was at the point of the Death Eater's attack.

When Malfoy finished the story, Armand expressed relief that none of us were harmed, but he was as disturbed by the fact that a muggle was there as Malfoy was.

"It's a shame a muggle had to witness that. Has she been taken care of?"

"I brought her to my house until she came around," Zabini said.

"Speaking of, Blaise you've obliviated Holly and taken her back to the inn right?" Malfoy asked.

Zabini looked a little shifty as he said, "Well…I haven't really gotten around to it yet."

"Haven't gotten around to it? You had virtually all day Blaise," Malfoy said slightly peeved.

Zabini didn't say anything and avoided looking all of us in the face.

"You fucked her didn't you?" Nott stated, more than asked and Malfoy laughed.

Zabini sent Nott a death glare but didn't say anything. Malfoy stopped laughing when he caught the look on Zabini's face.

"Holy shit, you really did fuck her," he said, his tone a mix of shock and anger.

"I might have," Zabini muttered looking thoroughly ashamed.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Malfoy practically shouted.

At this Zabini became indignant. "Hey, she was a more than willing participant! And don't you start giving me shit about fucking her when you've been fucking _Granger_!"

"You two fucked?" Armand said in disbelief.

"You told them?" I shouted at Malfoy before he could get a word in.

Malfoy didn't even have the grace to look ashamed. "They beat it out of me at lunch. Christ Zabini, I told you to keep your mouth shut!"

"Oh, don't even give him that shit Malfoy since you apparently can't keep yours shut either!"

"Yeah Draco, what's your problem?" Zabini said, thinking that I was taking his side.

"Oh shut up Zabini," I snarled. "Fucking Holly was your biggest mistake. I'm not on your side."

Zabini glared at me. "You've got a problem with muggles now Granger?"

"Of course not, you moron! That has nothing to do with it! You're the one with muggle issues."

"Well what are you going to do with her now Blaise? You had her once, aren't you just going to get rid of her?" Nott questioned, the only one of us who was still completely composed.

Zabini avoided eye contact with all of us and mumbled, "Well I actually had her more than once. But I can't just get rid of her."

"Why the hell not?" Malfoy asked.

Zabini now looked upset and he looked at me, pleading for support. Somehow, I recognized what he meant by that look and I gasped.

"You love her don't you?"

"What? You can't love her Blaise," Malfoy stated.

"I don't know what I feel right now," he said.

"She's a muggle! Don't you realize that?" Malfoy said, outraged.

"I'm sure he's perfectly aware, Malfoy. But what does it really matter?" I cut in for Zabini, because that comment angered me too. He fucked me last night knowing I'm a muggleborn, hardly a step up from a muggle, but he still had the audacity to carry around his prejudice.

Before Malfoy could get another word in, Nott said, "I think we should all just go home and we'll continue this tomorrow night. Everyone needs to calm down."

"You're right," Armand agreed.

The rest of us didn't even respond. Zabini's jaw was locked and he turned his glare on everyone in the room. Malfoy just stared straight ahead with an irritated look etched into his face as he twirled his wand in his hand. And I glared at Malfoy, fuming because he couldn't keep his mouth shut for even one day.

Breaking out of his trance, Malfoy tersely said, "Yeah, fine. Be here at the same time tomorrow." And then everyone else apparated.

I immediately stood up to make my way to the door. Just before I left, Malfoy called my name.

"What do you want?" I asked turning around.

"Come here," he said and it sounded almost like he was pleading.

"No thanks," I said and hastily left the room.

Nervousness


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Malfoy showed up in my room twenty minutes later while I was reading in bed.

"Get out of here Malfoy," I said not looking up from my book.

"Granger, I come here every night," he responded.

"Not anymore," I replied coldly, but he just ignored me and got under the covers with me.

I slammed my book shut and got out of the bed. "Malfoy, I told you to get out! But what do you do? You get into my bed! Are you even remotely capable of listening to me?"

He sat up in the bed glaring at me with his jaw locked.

"What nothing to say?" I shouted.

"Granger, just come back to bed and I'll tell you what you want to hear," he said.

"I don't want you to tell me what you think I want to hear, Malfoy. How about you try some sincerity for once," I replied acidly.

His angry expression turned into an almost pained expression. "Granger, I'm sorry okay. I'm truly sorry," he said, sounding sincere.

Not yet willing to give in I replied, "Yeah well saying you're sorry doesn't really fix the issue here Malfoy. You don't respect me at all and I can't deal with that."

"Granger, please come here and we'll continue this conversation," he said almost hopelessly.

While giving him a skeptical look, I got back into the bed with him. We were both lying on our sides facing each other, our heads propped up by an arm. He reached with his other hand to hold onto mine, delicately playing with my fingers. I tried to ignore the sensations such a small gesture sent through my body. It was difficult to remain angry with him.

He met my eyes and then began talking. "Listen closely Granger, because you're only going to hear this from me once. I do respect you. As much as I respect myself, and that's a lot." He had his voice back under control.

"You don't act like it," I cut in.

"Well that's because…well, because I have these other feelings and I don't know what to do with them…" he said trailing off.

"What feelings Malfoy?" I asked quietly almost afraid to hear an answer.

"I don't know Granger, I'm still not sure how to deal with this," he said sounding frustrated and he gripped my hand tightly. "But I care about you, okay? And don't even try to act like I'm alone in this, I know you're feeling the same things I am right now."

I nodded in understanding and he looked somewhat pleased for a moment before he abruptly pushed me onto my back and he straddled my waist, holding my arms above my head. I let out a shocked gasp but I didn't think to protest. He smirked and leaned down to whisper in my ear, "I won't talk about my feelings towards you ever again. You know where I stand; now I need to know where you stand."

He grazed his lips over my neck before placing his mouth back by my ear, speaking lowly. "I'm not a gentle and sensitive man Granger, you understand that. But can you accept it?"

"Yes," I breathed out.

I could just imagine the smirk that graced his face. "That's what I thought. You don't need someone to coddle you all the time," he said as he rolled his hips against mine.

"I'll try harder to treat you with respect, just know that I don't mean it when I'm unkind. I want this to work, Granger."

"What exactly is _this_, Malfoy?" I whispered.

"I'd rather not put a name to it, I just don't want to lose your…affection."

"I never said anything about my affection, Malfoy," I said lifting my hips up against his. I could feel him, hard beneath his pants.

"Are you trying to say you don't care about me?" he asked mockingly as he let go of my arms and trailed his hands down my body.

"I thought we were done talking about feelings," I responded running my hands through his hair. I pulled his face back so I could look at him. He was smirking at first but it soon turned into a smoldering gaze.

"Just tell me you want me Granger, and that will suffice."

I pulled his face closer to mine and whispered, "You know I want you Malfoy," against his lips and then closed the gap. His hands trailed up my thighs and under my short night gown as my hands travelled down his back and around to the front of his pants and I undid them, pushing them down his legs. He had my pajama's bunched around my waist and my underwear torn off when he stood up to completely remove his own pants. There was no taking it slow tonight. He seemed eager to prove to me just how fierce he was. But I couldn't complain, I didn't want a gentle Malfoy.

He moved against me roughly and forcefully causing me to bite down on his shoulder and drag my nails down his back. He growled at the pain and moved faster against me and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I finished just before he did, and afterwards, he collapsed onto me, breathing heavily and trembling slightly.

"Fucking amazing Granger," he mumbled before he passed out with his head in the center of my chest.

* * *

In the morning, I awoke when I felt Malfoy moving away from me. The clock on my nightstand read just past seven o'clock. I rolled over to face Malfoy who was now sitting on the edge of the bed, with his back to me.

"You don't usually get up this early," I remarked and he looked over his shoulder at me with the ghost of a smile.

Standing up he said, "Yeah but I need to get over to Blaise's as soon as possible to figure out what he plans to do with that muggle."

I sat up in bed as he moved around putting all of his clothes back on.

"Is it really that big of an issue?"

"It's a hassle, bringing a muggle into our circle. Especially since we technically aren't sympathetic towards muggles."

"I don't understand why."

"We are superior to them Granger," Malfoy stated simply.

"We are or you are?" I questioned.

He smirked. "We are. But being a pureblood, I'm superior to muggleborns too."

"You aren't my superior, Malfoy and if you don't get that through your head, this won't work," I said tersely.

"Well you're the exception." he said, on the edge of the bed, situating himself so he had one leg planted on the ground and the other on the bed. His knee was resting against my ribs.

"I don't want to be an exception Malfoy. Why can't you just let go of your egotism?"

"Shut up Granger," he said tersely, all playfulness gone from voice. "I'm not talking about this now. I need to get to Blaise's before he does something stupid with Holly."

"Like what?" I asked.

"I don't know, but he's unpredictable. I don't know what he's got in mind regarding her," he said.

"Don't you think he's moved a little fast? I mean he's known her for all of three days and he thinks he's in love."

He shrugged. "Yeah well, Blaise never takes anything slow. When he wants something he takes it without a second thought," he replied standing up. "I've got to go now Granger, stop distracting me." He leaned over and kissed me briefly before he stood up to walk out of the room.

Before he left he said, "Get some more sleep Granger, you look tired and it's not becoming. And don't forget to meet us in the study tonight."

As I opened my mouth to respond, he left, slamming the door shut. What an ass.

* * *

In the evening I joined the guys in the study, all of whom were already there when I arrived, sitting around the large table with drinks.

"Ah, Granger's finally here," Zabini said.

Glancing at the clock I replied, "Hey, I'm here right on time."

As I joined them at the table in my usual spot next to Armand, Zabini said in an upbeat tone, "Granger, you won't believe it. Holly's going to be staying at my home indefinitely, as long as she wants to stay really."

I shot a quick glance at Malfoy who rolled his eyes before I said, "Uh…that's great Zabini. She doesn't want to go back to her family or anything?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Not that I know of."

I gave him a dubious look, knowing that she wouldn't want to stay cooped up in his home forever and I was sure he would be crushed when she expressed her desire to leave.

"Anyways," Malfoy drawled. "I've been thinking about where we will go next. I came across some information regarding Bardsey Island. It's where Merlin was imprisoned by Vivienne according to legend."

"You think she would actually imprison him in Avalon?" Armand asked.

Malfoy shrugged. "Maybe, so she could keep an eye on him or something."

"So when are we going to check the place out?" I questioned.

"Probably not for a couple of weeks. I've just found out about a few Death Eater covens that are slowly growing near my offices in Glasgow. I want to destroy them before they begin to overrun the area. Plus, I can't miss two of my gatherings in a row. I'll need to be here on Saturday."

"Are you bringing Granger again?" Nott asked watching Malfoy intently.

"Of course. Everyone will be expecting to see her since they've been told I was visiting her family in the States this past weekend. They'll be expecting to see me in a fully committed relationship now."

"You don't think this could be detrimental to your image?" Nott persisted.

"Surely plenty of the women will be disappointed, but in reality what man can rule his people without a woman by his side?" he said in complete seriousness.

I gave him a perturbed glance, a little put off by that statement. Was he under the impression that I would stay with him after he conquered Voldemort? That I would be at his side, condoning every action he made to suppress the muggles and muggleborns of the world? I was shocked that he even wanted for me to stay with him once we destroyed Voldemort.

I wanted to bring to his attention that once Voldemort was gone, I would leave him, despite my newly discovered feelings towards him. This was only temporary, I would be his enemy and he would be my enemy again soon enough. I didn't voice these thoughts though; I didn't even want to approach the topic with him. I suddenly wanted to finish this mission as quickly as possible. There was an added incentive beyond destroying Voldemort now and that was getting away from Malfoy before it was too late, before I developed any attachment.

"I don't have to go on Saturday," I said. "You can just tell everyone that I'm sick or something."

"You're going, Granger," Malfoy replied.

I narrowed my eyes at him but didn't say anything else. Maybe I'd be lucky enough to actually get sick by Saturday.

Bringing everyone back into more important matters, Zabini asked, "When can we expect the raids to take place?"

"We'll need the next couple of days to plan and you can expect the first one to happen on either Thursday or Friday."

"We should start preparing now then," Nott said. "Is there anything in particular you need us to do before we start making a full course of action?"

"Would you three be willing to head up to Glasgow and scope out the exact locations and how many Death Eaters are residing there?" he asked gesturing to Armand, Nott, and Zabini.

All three of them nodded.

"Just don't let yourselves be seen. If you are, leave immediately. There's no sense in putting up a fight when you're drastically outnumbered. But you don't really need me to tell you that. I'm going to stay behind so I can draw up some plans to keep my offices in the area more protected in case they attack before we do," Malfoy said.

"Alright," Zabini said.

"Be here for lunch tomorrow and we'll begin planning," Malfoy said and they apparated.

Malfoy stood up and looked down at me where I was still seated at the table.

"Well Granger, I've got a lot of work to do. I'll be in your room later," he said with a tone of dismissal. I got up from the table to leave the room, and had almost put my hand on the door when Malfoy said, "Wait."

He walked over to me with a determined stride, and when he grabbed me by the waist, he murmured, "That seemed a little cold, no?" And pushing me against the door, he kissed me thoroughly. All previous thoughts of wanting to abandon him as soon as possible left my mind.

I twined my fingers through his hair as his hands ran down my thighs and back up to my waist. He pushed his hips flush against mine in a tight grip. His lips left mine, tracing my jaw before he placed them against my neck, eliciting a soft moan from me. I grasped his face between my hands and guided his lips back to mine. He had one hand buried in my hair, gripping it tightly, the other grasped my thigh and he pulled my leg around his waist. I began unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt and he began tracing his lips and tongue over my neck again. I moaned, trying to move my hips against his searching for some friction.

He stopped abruptly, stepping away from me. My hands fell limply to my sides and I watched him regain control over himself through hooded eyes.

"You're terrible Granger," he said smiling as though I instigated the whole thing. "We'll continue later."

Running his hand through his hair, he walked to his desk and I left the room impatiently anticipating later.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The next two days passed with little consequence. I almost never saw Malfoy, not even at night. He came to bed late and woke up early. The only reason I knew he even slept is because the sheets on his side of the bed were unmade when I woke up in the morning. Never seeing him was frustrating me, as much as I hated to admit it. I tried staying up until he eventually came to bed, but failed every night. And I knew better than to interrupt him while he was working.

The days were getting colder now; sitting in the garden was out of the question. I made my new place of refuge the library, which is where Malfoy found me late Thursday afternoon.

"Do you approve of my library, Granger?" he questioned from the doorway startling me out of my deep concentration. He was leaning against the frame with his arms crossed watching me.

I looked around the expansive room, filled with more books than I could imagine one person could own.

"Of course I do. The only place I think I've seen with more books is the Hogwarts library," I replied closing the book.

He smirked, pleased by my response. He came into the room and sat beside me on the couch. From this vantage point I could see how exhausted he was.

"You look terrible," I said with some mild concern creeping into my voice.

He looked at me archly and I understood plainly what that look meant. He may have looked tired, but he certainly didn't look terrible. The fact of the matter is that he could probably starve himself for two weeks and stop bathing but he would still manage to look amazing somehow. It irritated me that he knew just how attractive he was. It did nothing to help his ego.

"You know what I mean," I said.

"Well I haven't gotten much sleep lately, Granger. Not to mention withdrawal."

The way he looked at me made my stomach clench and I shivered.

"Withdrawal from what?" I asked quietly as he took the book out of my hands and threw it on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"You know what I mean," he said as he leaned in and kissed me soundly. I'd been longing for him greatly in the past couple of days and it came rushing to the surface in an instant.

I grasped his face between my hands as his fingers reached under my shirt grazing my stomach. He pushed me back so I was lying on the couch and he was above me. I worked on the buttons of his shirt as he slowly lifted my shirt up and over my head, throwing it to the ground. He kissed his way down my neck and between my breasts as he reached around to unclasp my bra. I pushed his shirt off his shoulders and he sat up to remove it completely, and then removed the black t-shirt he was wearing under it. I was graced with the view of Malfoy's perfectly sculpted abs and chest right in front of me.

I reached up and pulled his face back down to mine, kissing him eagerly as I arched against him in longing, the feel of his skin against mine sending my body into a frenzy. His lips and tongue traced their way down my body, stopping at the waistband of my jeans. He slowly unbuttoned them and dragged them down my legs, removing my underwear at the same time. He dragged his lips back up my legs, making me quake in anticipation. He separated my legs so on of them was bent, and the other hanging of the couch; my foot resting limply on the floor. When his lips and tongue met my center, I moaned, arching into his mouth as it moved against me.

He had almost brought me to my peak when I gasped out, "Malfoy…stop."

"Stop?" he queried sounding amused as he lifted his face to look at me.

It was easier to think coherently now. "Yes, I need you. Right now," I said, sounding out of breath.

The look of amusement fell from his face immediately and was replaced with a fiery gaze as he took his pants off. He was about to situate himself back on top of me but I pushed him back so he was sitting on the couch so I was straddling his waist. I lowered myself onto him, reveling in the feel of him. I grabbed the back of the couch for leverage and began moving against him. He kept his hands firmly on my hips and his head fell back against the couch, his eyes closed. I ran my lips over his neck which was fully exposed to me. I finished before he did with a sharp cry and continued moving against him until he came, his fingers digging into my flesh.

After a moment, I got off him and began getting dressed. Malfoy sat there a few moments longer before finally putting his clothes back on too.

Once I'd pulled my shirt over my head, I felt Malfoy's arms slip around my waist from behind me, his front flush against my back. He pressed his lips against my hair before saying, "We fuck every day from now on. I don't know how I made it through three days without this."

"I agree," I responded quietly, feeling more content than I had in awhile with his arms around me. I relaxed into his embrace resting my hands over his.

His arms tightened around me as he whispered into my ear, "I could take you again right now, Granger. God, I want you constantly."

I shivered slightly and my grip on his arms tightened.

"But I need to talk to you about something important," he said as slowly he stepped away from me and I turned around to face him. His pupils were still dilated, almost completely obscuring his crystal clear blue irises. I must have looked just as far gone as him, I felt that way at least.

He let out a deep breath before he said, "The raid is going to be tomorrow and I want you to come."

I was surprised, but not averse to going. I was perfectly willing to do whatever I could to help fight the Death Eaters.

"Okay, but why?"

"Because you're a good fighter. If you were one of my own, I'd have you fighting in the front lines."

This meant a lot coming from him, who didn't give compliments lightly and who had high standards for what constituted a good fighter.

I smiled and said, "Thank you. What's your plan?"

"Come into the study and I'll explain everything," he replied.

I followed him into the study and he unveiled the plan he, Nott and Zabini had devised.

* * *

The following night, I arrived in his study at eleven thirty, when he told me to be there. I was sporting the dark jeans and black shirt he gave to me for the raid. When I entered the study he accosted me with black robes too.

"Finally Granger, hurry up and put these robes on. And then we're leaving. I like to be early to the meeting point," he said holding out black robes. I put them on quickly and he grabbed me by the waist, pulling me close.

"Are you nervous, Granger?" he asked quietly.

I turned my face to look up into his with a hard look. "Of course not. I know how to handle myself in these situations."

"That's what I like to hear," he replied. He pecked my lips and then tightened his grasp around my waist and we were about to apparate when he stepped back saying, "I almost for got. You need to be Mya tonight." Thank God he remembered. If I'd shown up there as myself, things would not have gone over well with his followers.

He performed the spell and said, "That's better. I expect the people will be happy to see you fighting by my side."

He pulled me close again and this time we apparated to his office building in Glasgow.

Despite the fact that we were half an early, there were many people in the extravagant lobby, which was dimly lit.

"I'll find you before we leave," Malfoy said. "I need to make sure everyone knows which location they've been assigned to." And with that he walked away.

There were two death eater locations on opposite sides of the city. Malfoy's plan was essentially to divide and conquer; hit both at the same time tonight to weaken them and the subsequent raids would effectively run them out of the city. I was assigned to the location with more death eaters with Malfoy and Armand. They would be leading the raid in our area while on the other side of town Nott and Zabini were in charge. Everyone had to meet here first though.

More than one hundred people were taking part in this raid and as the minutes passed the lobby became more packed with people. I walked through the room slowly, trying to find people I recognized but they were hard to come by. I saw all of Malfoy's usual fighters – Flint, Montague, Crabbe, Goyle, and so on – but most of the people I didn't even recognize. I wondered how many of them were from another part of the world that he'd exercised his influence over.

As I strolled through the crowded room, I came across Pansy who stopped to chat with me.

"Mya, I must say I'm surprised to see you here. Where did Draco run off to?"

"He's making sure everyone knows where they're going," I replied looking around the room for him, but aside from a flash of bright blonde hair, I couldn't see him at all.

"Where are you stationed?" she asked.

"The east side. Where are you?"

"The east. We'll stick together, watch each others backs. Not that you'll really need my help, Draco will most likely try to keep an eye on you," she said smirking.

I rolled my eyes, about to reply that we weren't as close as she thought but then I stopped, realizing that would be a lie.

So I ignored her last statement and said, "That sounds good."

Malfoy appeared out of nowhere and said in my ear, "We'll be going in two minutes."

"Everything in good order, Draco?" Pansy asked.

"Yeah looks like it," he said.

He then magnified his voice, and said so the whole lobby could hear him. When he began speaking, there was an immediate hush. "Okay everyone. You know what you've got to do. Go to your assigned location and give 'em hell. Remember to move as small groups, remain undercover until you reach the right building. I want everyone to make their way to the respective exits. Anyone going to the west side follow Blaise and Theo outside now."

There was a rumble of footsteps as half of the herd moved towards the back exit of the lobby. When most of them were outside, Malfoy shouted, "The rest of you follow Armand and me this way." I realized that Armand was now standing beside Malfoy looking out over the group.

They turned towards the door and began making their way outside.

As we left the building, we automatically split up into smaller groups, making it easier to move unseen or to at least attract less attention. I was part of the first group to leave the premises which consisted of Malfoy, Armand, Pansy, Cecile, Flint, and Pucey. I felt my nerves acting up a tad as we walked silently through the streets but I kept myself under control.

When we arrived at what appeared to be an old apartment building, I turned my head around slightly and I could see a couple of other groups arriving just behind us. They began surrounding the building as my group walked up to the landing and stopped outside the front door, listening for any movement inside.

Eventually, Malfoy turned around to scan the surrounding area, and when he was certain that enough of the other groups had caught up with us, and were in their proper positions, he switched his gaze onto me.

As he looked at me, I stood up straighter and met his look with a determined gaze, letting him know that he didn't have to worry about me. He gave a short nod, and flashed a small smirk as though he knew and was pleased that I didn't need his constant protection.

He turned back around and silently opened the door. We filed in behind him and stood, listening for any sounds in a narrow hallway. There wasn't a sound to be heard from any direction.

"Mya, Pansy, and Cecile, I want you three to go upstairs. Once the silence breaks, give the others the signal to get in here. Armand, Adrian, and Marcus, come with me. We'll search this floor and any lower levels," Malfoy said quietly.

Cecile, Pansy, and I immediately made our way to the winding stairs that were a little bit further down the hall and ascended them as quietly as we could. There were at least fifty steps before we reached the next landing. We were met by a man sitting in a rickety chair, asleep. He had his wand out, grasping it tightly in his hand, apparently supposed to be on the lookout for anyone trying to trespass on this level. Before he had any chance to wake up, Pansy murmured "Avada Kedavra" and with a flash of green, the man slumped further into his chair, his head falling forward onto his chest.

We walked past the now dead man into the dark hallway, which was lined with rooms every few meters down the length of the hallway. The three of us chose the three doors closest and after briefly listening for any sound on the other side, pushed them open. I entered my room hesitantly, and found a middle aged man sleeping with his mouth hanging open. His death eater robes and mask were thrown over a chair against the wall opposite the bed. I stunned him, and left his room quickly to find Pansy already back in the hallway. I saw a flash of green from within Cecile's chosen room and she emerged seconds later and we moved on to the next rooms. We made our way through the first floor within minutes, leaving a wake of fifteen stunned or dead men in our wake. There wasn't one complication, not one sound was made. I couldn't hear anything from downstairs either.

We paced quickly down the hall back to the stairs. As we climbed the stairs we were startled by a man walking down the stairs. He noticed us first and shouted, "Intruders! Intru-!" before he was cut of by Pansy's killing curse and he toppled over, his body rolled down the stairs. We had to jump out of the way before we could race up the stairs to make it to the first window to signal everyone waiting outside. We heard people moving about and shouting on every floor above us and just when we reached the landing, I hear a loud crash and shouting from the main floor. I felt a brief pang of concern for Malfoy but couldn't dwell on it as men bolted from their rooms ready to attack. We positioned ourselves to make our way down the hallway, fighting off the men as they came towards us. They came from the rooms and they came from the stairs behind us; if we didn't get the others in here soon, we would be overwhelmed.

Leaving Pansy and Cecile to fend for themselves for a moment, I ducked into the first room I could, flung the window open and shouted into the night, "Now! Everyone move in now!" I saw the crowd below rush the house and then turned around just in time to ward off the curse of a man standing at the doorway. I stunned him and leaping over his body, I rejoined the thick of the fight in the hallway. Within a minute, the quickest of those who were waiting outside were already on the landing ready to fight. Some continued onto the floors above and I assumed some stayed on the main floor and ventured to the lower floors where Malfoy, Armand, Flint, and Pucey were.

Pansy ran up to my side shouting, "We're moving up! Go up to the next floor!"

We pushed forwards as swiftly as we could, sending out and warding off curses left and right. The stairs were clear for the most part and as we ran up I said, "What about Cecile?"

"She's staying there with some others to keep as many death eaters as possible from getting to the lower levels and to keep any others from coming up. If we keep them isolated they'll be destroyed faster."

I just nodded as we reached the landing to see that the fighting was even more intense on this floor. We were swept into the thick of the fight, but we made sure to keep close, to help each other out. As the fighting on this floor thinned out, we pushed upward to the next floor.

The fighting wasn't as intense here so I continued moving up to the top floor and Pansy stayed behind. The top floor was completely empty; every sound heard came from everywhere else in the building. I quickly checked every room, making sure there were no stragglers. Every room was empty; the beds were a mess and doors thrown open widely by the death eaters in these rooms who had rushed to get downstairs. When I reached the last room on the right however, I found someone cowering on there bed which was pushed into the far corner of the room.

I stepped into the room hesitantly with my wand at the ready although this person didn't appear to be holding a wand. Not in a threatening way at least.

"What are you doing in here?" I questioned in a hard voice.

The person looked up, he was a young boy, no more than fifteen years old. He was startled by my presence.

He immediately stood up trying to appear strong, but even when standing, he looked weak and out of place.

"Well what are you doing?" I asked again.

"Waiting for the fighting to stop," he said and then he nearly broke down. "Please don't kill me. I'm not a death eater. I'm a spy."

"A spy for whom?" I asked suspicious although he did look too young to be a death eater.

"For whom I can't say, but it's for the good side, the light side," he said in a pleading tone.

"Show me your arm," I said not lowering my wand.

He rolled up his sleeve and showed me his bare forearm with pleading eyes. "Please, I'm not a death eater."

I shut the door so no one could come up behind me and curse me unawares.

"You're a child, what are you doing here?"

"I dropped out of school after my parents were murdered by death eaters and joined the fight against them," he said.

I shook my head, disappointed by such a decision, but now wasn't the time for a discussion. "Do you have a wand?"

He nodded and I said tersely, "Well get it out. You're a fool for not keeping it out."

He gingerly walked over to his armoire and removed his wand from the top drawer. Keeping my wand trained on him still, I said, "Stay up here until you hear the fight dying down. Then go downstairs and get the hell out of here. If anyone else comes up here tell them that Mya said you're not to be harmed."

I made my way to open the door when he blurt out worriedly, "But what if they're intent on killing me?"

"Tell them you want to speak to Draco Malfoy," I replied turning back around to face him.

His face blanched. "Draco Malfoy?" he whispered.

"Yes, if necessary tell him what happened," I responded. "But by all means, get out of here without being seen." And as I flung the door open, I said, "And go back to school."

Slamming it shut, I moved quickly to the stairs to go back down. The fighting on the other levels had almost completely died down except for on the second floor where Cecile was still fighting to keep death eaters from coming up or going down. Pansy was no where to be seen.

I heard a great deal of noise from the main floor though and I made my way there as quickly as possible, stunning the few death eaters I met on the stairs. I made my way to the main rooms on the ground floor where I heard people shouting curses. I entered a room where death eaters outnumbered us five to one. There were stairs on the far end of the room leading to the lower levels and I could hear even more echoes of people fighting from there.

I was drawn into the fight, hardly even able to think of what I was doing. I worked on autopilot, allowing instinct to take over. I didn't even realize immediately that I was near Pansy again but once I did, we began working as a team, taking down more death eaters than anyone else in the room. But it seemed that no matter how many death eaters we killed, more emerged from the basement. Sounds of people in pain and dying were all around. It was all I could hear, there were no distinct sounds, just one loud roar of people angry and hurting.

Time passed in a blur around me, all I could process was warding off and sending out curses, until I was caught off guard by a death eater out of my line of vision who hit me with a curse that sent me flying across the room. I hit the wall and I felt my shoulder dislocate and I landed awkwardly. I stuck my hand out to catch me which I immediately recognized as stupid when I heard the bones breaking under me. I brought my hand out from under my body in a daze induced by pain. My hand lay on the floor beside me, my dislocated fingers twitching ever so slightly. I tried to push myself up when someone slammed their foot down on my damaged hand, crushing the bones and I let out a sharp cry. Whether it was on purpose or not, I had not idea. I clutched my hand to my body, blinded by the pain. I had no idea what was going on around me when I felt something hard smash into my head and I blacked out completely.

* * *

I felt myself regaining consciousness, but seemed unable to open my eyes. Minutes passed and I just listened to the sounds in the room. The strong wind against the window, the sound of someone shifting beside me, someone's deep breathing beside me. When I finally opened my eyes and was able to focus, I immediately realized I wasn't in my own room, but Malfoy's.

"Granger? You're awake?" I heard his deep, concerned voice beside me.

I turned my head slightly to my left, and I was met by Malfoy's troubled face looking down at me. I'd never seen him look so uneasy.

He suddenly blurt out, "Oh, Granger…Hermione, Hermione, I was so worried." His voice diminished to a whisper and he placed his hands on either side of my face gently as he laid kisses over my jaw and neck, murmuring "Hermione" every few seconds. He eventually laid his head down on my chest and I wanted to put my arms around him but I could move one arm because of my shoulder and I couldn't move the other because my hand hurt anytime I tried to.

He began whispering things, which I heard, but could hardly comprehend at this point. "I don't know what I would've done if you were dead, Hermione. Voldemort murdered my parents and if his people killed you too, I don't know if I could live with myself."

I knew what he told me was important, that I should say something, but the pain was becoming more pronounced with every second that passed and it was all I could focus on at this point. Malfoy seemed to realize I was in extreme pain at this time too and he abruptly got off the bed and went to his desk where flasks of potions were placed. He brought two vials over, neither of which looked too appetizing.

"I'm going to give you something to heal your hand and shoulder. It should take to swelling of your head down too." He had his voice under control again, but still tinged with concern.

"Is the other a sleeping draught?" I asked recognizing the distinct color.

He nodded and I protested, starting to come out of my fog "I don't want to go back to sleep, I was just asleep. How long was I out?"

"Only three hours. It's four in the morning," he replied.

"Oh…well what happened to me?" I asked.

"Pansy told me you were hit by a curse that sent you flying against the wall and you fell breaking your hand and dislocating your shoulder."

"Yes, I remember that, but how did I get knocked out?" I asked.

"Well she said that something was blasted off the shelf above where you were laying and crashed into your head. Couldn't really tell what it was though," he said.

I was a little disappointed in myself, part of me wanted to prove I was his equal and making it through a raid undamaged would have been desirable. My disappointment must have shown on my face because Malfoy said, "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"I'm just disappointed I was knocked out. It makes me feel weak," I replied honestly.

"Pansy told me you were knocked out all of five minutes before the fighting was over. You did well," he assured me. This comforting Malfoy was something new and strange. I couldn't tell if I liked it or not.

"Now stop talking, this is going to knock you out for about ten hours. You're going to have to get up and get something to eat right away and then get dressed for tonight because you're still coming to my party," he said.

"What? I still have to go?" I asked, mildly outraged.

"Yes, you're going. In this world, when you say you'll be somewhere, you show up. No matter what." I didn't like the way he said this, as though he was preparing me for the future that I would spend at his side.

"Now stop complaining about everything and take these potions," he continued, back to his usual demanding self. Yes, I liked this Malfoy much more. I knew how to respond to a demanding Malfoy and I remembered when he said that I don't need someone to coddle me constantly. He was absolutely right. Malfoy expects me, and wants me to fend for myself most of the time and I've come to realize that he expects me to give him the same treatment. He doesn't want some woman breathing down his neck constantly, begging for attention. We both value our independence.

I gulped down the potions, and I was out in seconds.

* * *

As Malfoy desired, I was dressed and ready for his party by nine when he showed up at my room. I was in a black strapless dress that fell to the floor which Malfoy complimented as he came in.

Still a little drowsy and irritated I had to go to the damn party, I said, "Well you bought it for me, of course you like it."

He smirked, finding my attitude amusing. He transformed me into Mya and then said, "I've brought something for you, Granger."

The last time he had a surprise for me, I was thoroughly pleased by it. I was eager to see what he had this time, but I wouldn't let him know that.

"What is it this time Malfoy?" I asked as though I expected to be unimpressed by whatever it was he gave to me.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring which he held out to me. It had a round ruby, set in white gold with diamonds on the sides.

"It's a family heirloom, goes back for generations. It's worth more money than you could imagine," he said. This didn't really impress me and something in his tone told me he knew that it wouldn't.

"That doesn't really mean anything to you does it Granger?" he queried when I didn't say anything.

"Not really, but a ruby?" I questioned as I took the ring from him, admiring it.

"Would you've expected an emerald?" he responded taking the ring back.

I nodded as he grabbed my right hand. Slipping the ring on my ring finger, he said, "Just because the majority of my family has been associated with Slytherin at school doesn't mean it dominates our lives at home."

He held my hand and we both looked at the ring resting on my finger. I instantly loved it. It was classy, not gaudy which suited my tastes.

"Why would you give me this?" I asked.

"The people will like to see it on you."

"Why would they even care?"

"People like to see their leader happy and in love, it makes them think I'm even greater. Besides, it works for my benefit too. They not only idolize me but, if I keep them entertained, it also keeps them distracted. Their minds are occupied by less important things."

"Is this how you plan on ruling the world? By keeping the masses distracted and unaware of their surroundings?"

"Of course. How else would I be able to accomplish everything I want?" he stated as though this was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

Throwing up my hands in frustration, I said, "Whatever, I'm not even going to try talking to you about this right now."

"You don't approve of my intended method, Granger?" he asked smirking.

"Of course not. I fear for the future of humanity," I replied.

He laughed as though this was a petty concern and grabbed my hand, twining his fingers through mine and pulled me towards the door.

"Let's just go to the party. It's going to be a short one tonight. Many people are still tired from the raid last night so it's ending at midnight tonight," he said.

As we walked to the ballroom, I asked, "So did we defeat the death eaters?"

"In our building, yes. In the other, it went well, but not as well as I'd intended. We'll need to have one more raid there next week."

"Did we lose anyone?"

He shook his head. "There were some permanent injuries, but no deaths."

We arrived at the party and I instantly picked up on the fact that although there were just as many people as last time, it wasn't nearly as lively.

This party passed very much the same as the last one, aside from the fact that Malfoy and I didn't go off on our own except to dance every once in awhile. For the most part, he was greeting his guests and thanking them for coming. If they were at the raid, he complimented them on a job well done.

He never held my hand or put his hand around my waist when we walked amongst his followers. The most he would ever do is tuck my arm under his and I guessed this had to do with his image. Although he rarely touched me, I could tell when he wanted me to remain with him or when I would be able to go off on my own. For the most part I was perfectly content to walk to room without him guiding me and I could talk to whoever I wanted, not just who he wanted to. The downside was the women who would approach me solely to admire the ring Malfoy had given me which was apparently a widely known Malfoy family heirloom.

Near midnight, Pansy and Daphne approached me.

"How're you feeling Mya?" Pansy asked.

"Well enough," I replied.

"She was knocked out cold last night," Pansy said to Daphne.

"Where were you fighting?" I asked Daphne.

"The west side," she said. She was a woman of few words, not out of shyness, but because she simply didn't seem to find any reason to speak more than what's necessary. She always had a look in her eyes that said she knew more than she let on though.

"I see Malfoy's given you a nice little gift," Pansy remarked lifting my hand.

Pulling my hand back, I said, "It's nothing really."

"A family heirloom is nothing?" she questioned, sounding amused.

There were quite a few things I wanted to say to Pansy right now, but couldn't with Daphne standing right there who didn't know the particulars of my relationship with Malfoy. But then again, she's with Nott and I wondered how much she did know.

Luckily Malfoy and Nott saved me from having to respond as they arrived at my side at that moment.

The clock struck midnight and with goodbye's, Nott and Daphne left the room together, and Pansy left after they did. Malfoy and I stayed behind in the ballroom until everyone else left and then he said, "I'll meet you upstairs in a few. Go to my room, not yours."

After changing into my nightgown, I went into Malfoy's room to see him already in there.

"We're going to sleep in here from now on," he said when he heard me enter.

"Umm…okay," I said. I didn't really have a preference as to where I slept, as long as I got to sleep right now.

I moved to get into the bed but with a hand on my shoulder, he stopped me in my tracks. "You've forgotten to remove your disguise."

He waved his wand and I was back to normal. "That's better," he said with a small smile as his fingers combed through my hair.

I suddenly remembered the ring he'd given me earlier. "Oh here's your ring," I said as I moved to take it off.

His hands clasped over mine, stopping my actions. "Will you keep it Hermione?" he asked. I was stunned by the request mainly because he didn't demand that I keep it. Not to mention he used my name.

"Malfoy, this isn't…" I said slowly, and seeing where that sentence was headed, he immediately cut me off saying, "No of course not."

That was a relief, but I could tell it meant a lot to him, for me to keep this ring. I looked down at our clasped hands and then into his face and I nodded, without thinking of what this might imply.

His eyes bored into mine hungrily before he pulled me to him roughly and then threw me into his bed.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The next few days passed peacefully and I was feeling genuinely comfortable in Malfoy's home. We slept in his room every night, instead of my own and we even shared meals together throughout the day. We had real conversations and I learned about opinions of his that I never would have thought he'd have. He seemed to be doing everything in his power to make me feel like a permanent part of his home and his life. And although I never really had much say in any decisions he made, even when he asked for my opinions, I was feeling less like his prisoner and more like his mistress every day. I couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing yet.

Most of the time, I had even forgotten I was still a prisoner. But was I really? Couldn't I run away now that I had my wand? There wouldn't be much use in that, seeing as Malfoy and I need each other to bring Voldemort down, but why couldn't I at least leave the grounds on my own, maybe even live in my own home? I brought this up with him one night and he of course hated the idea.

"Malfoy?"

"What?" came his muffled reply from the bathroom where he was brushing his teeth.

"I was just wondering why you're still keeping me here. Couldn't I just go live on my own? You know I'm not going to desert you," I said as I got under the warm covers of his bed. The winter chill had set in, so no matter where I went I was always somewhat chilled.

I didn't get any reply, even after the water had shut off and I heard his toothbrush slam onto the counter.

"Malfoy, did you hear me?" I asked.

He came out of his bathroom and stood in the doorway with a peeved look etched into his face. He was already tired and irritable from planning all day for the next raid in Glasgow, which he still hadn't told me anything about. I realized that this probably wasn't the best time to bring this up. "Yes, I heard you," he said in a surprisingly calm voice. He appeared to be thinking hard about something.

"And…" I goaded.

He seemed to come to a conclusion of what to tell me and he said as he walked further into the room, "Well, I need to keep you here for security reasons. You're necessary for me to find how to destroy Voldemort and I can't risk anything happening to you when I'm not around. You're Hermione Granger. You're at a bigger risk than anyone living without protection."

"I could be Mya," I said.

He shook his head and got into the bed lying close to me on his side so we were facing each other.

"Since the rest of the world thinks Mya is my official girlfriend, you'd be at risk disguised too. My enemies would see you as the perfect way to get to me. It's not happening, Granger. You can't go out on your own, it's not safe. End of discussion," he said with finality.

There he goes again, acting as though I couldn't handle myself on my own. Why was I even having this conversation with him?

"I can handle myself out in the world Malfoy, I don't understand why you think I can't," I said practically shouting. "Why am I even asking you? My decision to live here or somewhere else shouldn't be your decision anymore," I continued in a quiet but harder tone as I moved away from him.

He reached out and pulled me closer to him than before. "You're right," he purred in my ear. "But it's easier to be together when you're here."

His hand ran down my back and thigh, then back up again. He continued the motion, his hand lingering where my skin was exposed. Trembling against him, I whispered, "We can still be together. I don't need to be holed up in your house for that."

"I like having you here, in my home with me. Is living with me all that bad?" he whispered.

It didn't take much deliberation to come to a conclusion. "No, I suppose not."

With his hand placed firmly in the small of my back, pushing my body closer to his, he moved his face so he could look into my eyes. "So you won't leave me then?"

I shook my head slowly, "No, I won't."

He smirked and then kissed me.

When he pulled away, he said, "I should tell you now, since you're so keen on getting out of here, that we'll be leaving the grounds tomorrow anyways."

"Where are we going?" I asked as he rolled onto his back. He looked exhausted.

"We're going to have lunch with Armand and Cecile. And afterwards you and I are going to Bardsey Island."

"No one else is coming?" I asked sitting up a little bit in the bed. With this news I was no longer tired enough to get to sleep immediately. Malfoy on the other hand seemed eager to finally get some shut eye.

"No, it's not really necessary. No more questions right now," he said as he pulled me on top of him. I lifted myself up so I could lean over him and look at his face.

His eyes were closed and his mouth was almost smiling. The only time he looked more peaceful than now is when he's asleep. I leaned down and kissed him softly. Just as he began responding with fervor, I pulled away and dragged my mouth over his jaw and neck and then down his bare chest. I could feel him grow hard beneath me as he realized what my final destination would be.

I dragged his pants down his legs and then gripped him firmly in my hand. "You aren't too tired are you, Malfoy?" I queried, moving my hand slowly.

"No," he said sharply, and with a soft laugh I brought my mouth over him.

I started out slow, but increased my speed as his fingers gripped my hair. I reveled in the sound of his voice moaning, "Yes…Hermione…keep doing that."

Once he came, I returned to my place beside him and I watched him come back down into reality. With a small smile on his face, he brought his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him so my head was lying against his chest. He ran his hand through my hair and kissed the top of my head before saying, "Night, Hermione."

* * *

At noon the next day, Malfoy and I were in the study ready to leave for the Toussaint's home.

"Are we going to their home in France?" I asked.

"No, we're going to their loft in London. It's where they live most of the time," Malfoy replied as he walked over to me.

"They live in muggle London?" I questioned, surprised.

"Yes, but the building they live in is owned by a wizard and only people of the magical community can live there…now we can't stay to chat long after we eat. I want to get to Bardsey Island while there's still plenty of daylight left," Malfoy said as he wrapped his arm around my waist getting ready to apparate.

"That's fine with me," I replied.

I expected we would leave right then, but he continued staring down at me with an unreadable look on his face.

"What're you doing, Malfoy?"

He seemed to snap out of his gaze a little saying, "Nothing…I just…you just look nice today, Granger."

This hesitant, babbling version of Malfoy was a little disconcerting. I couldn't understand why he was particularly enamored by my appearance since I didn't look especially different from any other day. I was wearing a nice outfit, but I was always dressed well since he only supplied me with expensive clothes.

I figured he wasn't telling me exactly what he was thinking, but I let it go saying with a coy smile, "Thanks, Malfoy. We're going now, yeah?"

"Yes, of course," he replied and we apparated.

The crack of apparition when we landed in a foyer must have notified them of our presence because Cecile entered the foyer immediately after we arrived.

"Draco, Hermione, I'm so glad you guys could come," came Cecile's chipper voice from behind us.

We turned around and Malfoy stepped away so he wasn't flush against me, but to my surprise, he kept his arm draped lightly around my back.

"Thanks for having us," Malfoy replied.

"Well come on in, Armand is in the living room," she said and she turned around to lead us further into her home.

The adjoining room appeared to be a common sitting room, with a fireplace and a piano on the far wall. In the next room we entered, we found Armand setting down a tray of tea on a coffee table set between two large arm chairs and a couch. Their home was beautifully decorated and appeared to be in an old French style.

"Hey Draco, Hermione," Armand said when he saw us come in. "Lunch should be ready soon, you can have some tea in the meantime if you'd like though."

"Sure," I replied as I sat down on the couch. Malfoy sat on my left, close enough that any slight movement from either of us caused our arms or thighs to brush. Armand sat in one of the arm chairs as Cecile poured the tea.

"Malfoy would you like a cup?" she asked as she handed mine to me.

"No thanks," he said, so she just poured two more cups. Armand took one and she took the other before settling into the other armchair.

"Hermione you look just how Armand described you," Cecile said.

Hoping his description of me was flattering, I said, "Thanks."

After a brief silence, Armand said with a small smile forming on his lips, "There's something we want to tell you about."

"Alright, what is it?" Malfoy asked.

Armand and Cecile shared a smile, before Cecile said happily, "Well…I'm pregnant."

"That's great," I said.

"Congratulations," Malfoy replied.

"Thanks," both Armand and Cecile said, but Armand continued on, "I know it seems a little strange we brought it up in such a way with you but it's because I also want to request that Cecile doesn't take part in any more raids until the baby is born."

"Of course. I'll miss you out there though, you're one of my best fighters," Malfoy replied and Cecile smiled warmly at the compliment. "For future reference though, don't hesitate to bring up anything that's important to you. We're on good enough terms at this point that you shouldn't still feel the need to make formal requests, don't you think?"

"See, Armand, I told you not to be so concerned," Cecile said.

"Alright, thank you," Armand replied.

A house elf then popped into the room alerting us that lunch was served in the dining room.

Malfoy and I followed the Toussaint's into the dining room. The table was long, but the table was set so we all sat at one end of the table; Cecile and Armand across from Malfoy and me.

Conversation was lively and liberal. It was easy to see that for the most part Cecile was still somewhat shy around company, since she spoke the least of all of us, but every time she did speak, she had something interesting to say. She was far from dull and I wondered how Armand had ever hated her.

Eventually, conversation turned towards the upcoming raid.

"Is the raid still planned for tomorrow?" Armand questioned.

"Yes," Malfoy said before taking a drink of his wine.

"There's a raid tomorrow?" I said, confused as to why this wasn't mentioned to me before.

"Yeah," Malfoy replied.

"Why didn't you tell me about it?" I asked.

"Because you aren't going," he stated.

"Why not?"

"It's unnecessary and we aren't discussing this now," he said with finality.

I didn't want to start an argument in Armand and Cecile's home so I glared at him out of the corner of my eye. Cecile caught me eye and she rolled her eyes, mouthing, "_Men"_ and I smiled.

The rest of the meal passed without any further discrepancy. It wasn't until we were about to leave that Armand told us anything truly alarming. We were in the foyer and Malfoy had his arm around my waist, ready to apparate.

"Before you go, I received a letter from Mathis last night," Armand said.

"What did he have to say this time?" Malfoy asked, concerned.

"A lot of it was idle threats, but he says he knows that we've been out searching for a way to destroy Voldemort."

Malfoy's eyes flicked to Cecile. "How much do you know about what we've been doing?"

There was no lie in her eyes or voice when she answered, "Nothing except that you've been working on a secret project. I assumed it was to kill Voldemort but what it is exactly I don't know and I don't speculate about it."

Malfoy nodded, "It's not that I don't trust you, I only want as few people as possible to know so there is a smaller chance of anything slipping out."

"I understand," she said, and taking her cue, she slipped out of the room.

"What does he know specifically?" Malfoy asked Armand.

"He knows about your trip to Dozmary Pool."

"Did you respond to his letter?" Malfoy asked.

"No, I never do. I usually just throw them right into the fire after reading them, and forget about them, but I think you aught to read this one," Armand replied as he removed a folded piece of paper from his pocket.

Malfoy stepped away from me as he took it and he briskly unfolded it and began reading it to himself. I read the letter around his shoulder.

_My brother, _

_I hope you are well. I am well of course, in case you are concerned. I work as the Dark Lord's most trusted servant. My only rival for his favor is the lovely Bella. But no matter, so long as I am one of his most trusted Death Eaters I can have nothing to complain about._

_I sense, brother, that time is growing near our final battle and I insist that you come to your senses and join the Dark Lord's ranks. Your foolish leader may have gained superior influence in the world up till now, but that will not matter on the battle field. The power lies with the Dark Lord and for your own good I suggest that you, and Leon, join us. _

_You see, I am aware of your leader's recent visit to Dozmary Pool. What can he have to do in a muggle village? I admit that I do not know exactly what he was doing there, but I am well on my way to finding out. I know he searches for a way to destroy the Dark Lord and I intend to find out exactly what he is searching for. I hope that you are not personally helping him. It would be a shame, my brother, to have to kill you, but I regret that when the time comes, I would have to for such a crime._

_If you know anything of your leaders plan, I insist that you come clean and share your knowledge with me and the Dark Lord. If you do not share whatever information you have, I fear that you will not be saved when Draco Malfoy falls. _

_Hoping that you'll actually write back this time,_

_M _

"There's no way he'll know what we were doing at Dozmary Pool," Malfoy said when he finished reading the letter. "And the thing is, by the time he discovers what we were doing, we'll know where Avalon is and we'll know if our plan will work. He doesn't even realize that he's wasting his time."

Armand nodded. "I'll burn this letter now, like the rest of them."

"Good. Show me any more letters he sends before you destroy them from now on," Malfoy said.

"Okay, I will. He doesn't write often. Maybe one every few months or so."

"That's alright, but who knows what useful information he might slip into his letters at some point."

Armand nodded. "Thanks for stopping by," he said as Malfoy took his place back at my side with his arm around my waist.

"Thanks for having us," I said.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the meeting point," Malfoy said and with that we apparated from the loft.

We landed on uneven ground and Malfoy and I both almost lost our footing but we managed to regain our balance together.

"We're on Bardsey Island, Granger," he said.

"I figured," I responded tersely.

"Are you still mad about not being included in the raid?" he asked as though this was absurd.

"Yes, not to mention your shoddy apparation job. We almost rolled down this hill and into the water thanks to you."

"Oh shut up Granger. I couldn't very well apparate to the other side, since there's a muggle village there."

"Please stop talking, I really can't stand you right now," I said rudely.

We started climbing to the highest point on the island. It was freezing cold and the wind whipped my hair around. The terrain was rocky, causing Malfoy and I to grab onto each other every once in a while because we lost our footing. The conditions were terrible, but there was something about this place that drew me in, it gave me a strange feeling. It was as though I could feel an ancient magic flowing through the earth and the air around me, and it became more pronounced as we neared the top of the island.

"I sense something here. Some very old magic," I said to Malfoy.

"That's a good sign," he said. I guess he didn't sense it the way I did.

We reached the top and I looked out over the rest of the island. There was a small village nestled in the shadow of the small mountain. There was a lighthouse on the far edge of the island, near a tiny, sandy beach. It was the only part of the island that didn't drop right to the water.

"Granger, come here!" Malfoy shouted over the wind.

He was some distance away from me, kneeling down brushing the dirt away from something that had caught his eye.

I walked over and knelt down beside him. There was what appeared to be a glass corner just barely peeping out of the dirt. I felt a sudden rush, I instantly knew we'd found something important. I helped him clear away the dirt, and awhile later, we'd exposed a large square of glass that apparently went down into the island quite some distance.

"How'd it wind up underground?" I asked Malfoy when the wind died down low enough for me to speak and be heard.

"The earth is constantly changing. The terrain probably wasn't exactly like this all those years ago."

"But surely that would've destroyed it," I countered.

"Not if it was reinforced with magic," he replied.

We peered down into the glass. "We need to get in there," I said.

"Stand back, Granger," Malfoy said and using his wand, he drew and imaginary square around the outer edges of the glass. He murmured a charm and with a flick of his wrist, the square section of glass detached from the rest of the tower and Malfoy let it fall on the ground beside the now open glass tower.

There were thick glass steps leading from the top to the bottom. I led the way down the stairs with Malfoy following close behind me. The stairs were steep and as we got closer to the bottom, room was constricted, the walls pushed closer together, from being under so much pressure underground. When sunlight wasn't enough to see clearly, we both used our wands to provide extra light.

At the bottom, the floor was rocky and there were bones within an apparently old cloak in a corner.

"So this is Merlin?" Malfoy said in a quiet and awed voice.

"I guess so," I whispered. It seemed proper to speak softly in this place.

We walked closer to the skeleton, which only took about four steps. By Malfoy's foot was a large stone with carvings in it. I bent down to pick it up and held it under my light so the carvings were clearer.

"They look like some sort of ancient Druid symbols," Malfoy said.

"Can you decipher them?" I asked.

"No, we'll take this with us," he replied. He turned away to look around the rest of the tower.

"Do you see anything else that might be important?" he asked.

I took my time to search the place carefully. I couldn't find anything else peculiar and I also didn't think Avalon was located here.

"There's nothing else here," I said. "And this isn't Avalon's location. I can feel it."

Malfoy nodded. "Come here, we're going to apparate out of here," he said.

"We can't just go and leave a huge, gaping hole in the ground," I said gesturing up to the opening he created.

"Fine, but we're apparating to the top. There's no way I'm walking up all those stairs."

He started to move towards me, but I apparated myself. An instant after I appeared on the top, he was beside me.

"What the hell?"

"I can apparate by myself, thank you," I replied tartly.

Scowling, he closed off the hole in the tower and together we recovered the glass with dirt.

"Okay, let's go home," he said once we'd gotten the entire top of the tower covered. He didn't try to make me apparate with him so I arrived independently in his study just after him.

"Alright let's decipher this thing," I said walking towards his library hoping to find some kind of text on Druid writings.

"Hold up a minute, Granger," Malfoy said grabbing my arm. He turned me around to face him and he took the heavy stone from my hand and placed it on his desk. "We aren't doing anything else until you quit being so angry with me."

"You know why I'm angry with you. You should have told me the raid is tomorrow," I said tersely.

"Well now you know, so what's there to be upset about?"

I looked at him as though he was completely daft. "Are you kidding me? It's the principle of the thing. You should've told me about it. And not only that, you said that I'm not going to be part of it."

"Well that's because it's too dangerous for you to be involved at this point. When you got hurt last time, I realized I shouldn't have let you fight in the first place. If you were killed or injured beyond repair, our entire plan is ruined."

Although I thought I could still be useful in his raid, I could understand his reasoning and I knew he was right to be cautious. "Why didn't you just tell me that?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I knew you'd be angry."

"Well, now that you've explained, I'm not angry. Just tell me about these things from now on," I replied.

"Why?"

"Why not? I mean, don't you –," but then I broke off abruptly. What was I saying? He didn't _have_ to tell me anything. So he cares about me and we fuck, but so what? I realized at that moment that I shouldn't have expected more of him. I mean, did I confide in him all the time? Of course not.

"I don't know why…just forget about it. Let's go decipher the carvings," I said quickly, moving to grab the stone. He stopped me and put his hands on my shoulders.

"What were you going to say Granger?" he asked forcing me to look at his face.

"It's nothing Malfoy. I just shouldn't have expected you to tell me all your plans. I mean, this isn't a real relationship. I don't even know what I was thinking," I said, aware that I probably said too much.

"A relationship? Did I not make it clear to you what my feelings were?" he said as his grip on my shoulders tightened.

"Yes, you made it clear, Malfoy. But that doesn't mean anything."

"Doesn't mean anything? What are you talking about, you aren't making any sense. Are you saying my feelings are meaningless?" he said, getting angrier as he continued.

"No, not meaningless, just…" I trailed off lost in what I was trying to get across.

"Just what, Granger?" he spit out angrily. Grabbing my right hand he said, "I gave you this ring. Is that meaningless? I told you how I feel about you. I figured you were smart enough to understand the depth of my feelings with out me spelling it out for you, because I'm not good at that, at giving long, loving speeches. I brought you into my bed, I've allowed no other woman to sleep in that bed. Are you questioning my commitment to you?"

Commitment? Oh Lord. I realized at this point that he did in fact see this as a long term situation, not something that would be over as soon as Voldemort was gone. I still didn't want to bring up the fact that once Voldemort was gone, I would be gone too, so I skirted the issue replying, "No, Malfoy I'm not concerned about your commitment. I simply expected too much of you in terms of how you treat me and what I thought you would tell me."

"No you didn't Granger. It was a perfectly reasonable thing for you to expect," he said.

"How is that reasonable?" I questioned.

He shook me slightly with an unfathomable look on his face. "Are you daft all of a sudden? We are together, Granger. Is that what you've been trying to get at? That we aren't really together?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I responded.

He let out an exasperated huff. "We are together," he bit out harshly. "You're mine and I'm yours. If I can come to accept that you should be able to too. Jesus Christ you're difficult."

"I'm difficult?" I said stepping out of his grip. "This whole thing could've been avoided if you'd simply told me about the raid," I continued with a playful lilt in my tone.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll keep that in mind. I'll tell you everything from now on just to avoid this," he said rolling his eyes.

I picked up the stone and stepped around him to go to the library, but he caught my arm. Looking down at me, he said, "I do want to confide in you, Hermione. I'm just still getting used to this."

I gave him a small smile. "I understand Malfoy. Now we're going to decipher this thing right now. I'm sick of being sidetracked."

"Alright, you just wait here, I'll find the book we need," he said and he walked into the library.

I took the seat at his desk and I ran my fingers over the carvings in the stone. He returned a few minutes later with a large tome in hand.

Placing it on the desk, he said, "I don't normally allow anyone else to sit at my desk."

"But you'll allow me to sit here, won't you?" I responded knowingly.

His only reply was a smirk and he came to stand behind me as I opened the book, searching. He placed his hands on my shoulders and rubbed them firmly. Every once in awhile his thumbs would brush the nape of my neck, and I shivered involuntarily. I tried to ignore him, but to no avail.

"You're distracting me, Malfoy," I said quietly.

I felt his lips by my ear. "I know," he said and he pushed my hair to the side and began kissing my neck.

"Malfoy, stop. I need to focus," I breathed out but I turned my head so more of my neck was exposed to him nonetheless.

"Just say one thing, and I'll stop," he whispered.

"What?"

"Tell me you're mine," he said with his mouth against my ear.

"But you already know that," I said shakily as his hands ran down my arms to my hands which were now sitting limply in my lap.

He gripped my hands tightly and said with his mouth still by my ear, "Yes, but I want to hear you say it. I want to hear you acknowledge what's between us."

I licked my lips which were now dry, and I said, "I'm yours."

He turned my head so I could look up at him. He was smirking of course, but his eyes held an unusual mix of hunger and softness. He kissed me chastely and then straightened up and removed his hands from me.

"Now let's work on this stone," he said.

I almost laughed at his antics, but I just pulled the book closer to me and threw myself into finding the meaning of these symbols.

How much time actually passed, I didn't really know, but it felt as though we searched through the book for hours. It was difficult to match many of the crudely made carvings but eventually we had the entire message put together. The markings told of how Vivienne trapped him in the tower. He wrote of her strength that was unsurpassable, but he did not say specifically what her power was. Perhaps he did not even completely understand. It was the last set of markings that were the most important to us though. They translated to:

_And where she resides, deep within the freshwater lake of Cornwall, I can no longer enter. The beautiful Avalon is forever lost to me._

"The freshwater lake of Cornwall…" I murmured racking my brain for information I'd read about the supposed locations of Avalon.

"Malfoy!" I burst out suddenly. "The Loe…it's The Loe. It's the largest freshwater lake in Cornwall. That must be the place he's referring to!"

I turned around to face him with a huge smile on my face. I had a feeling deep within me that we'd found the right place. We would go to The Loe and be certain of finding Avalon. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and he pulled me out of the chair and swept me up into a crushing hug.

"We found it, we finally found it," he said ecstatically.

He lifted me up slightly and then placed me on his desk. He then kissed me fiercely as he gripped my waist tightly pulling me closer to him. I wrapped my legs around his waist and his hands trailed from my waist to my thighs and he gripped them tightly.

"I want to fuck you, right here, right now," he growled out.

I moaned as he pushed his hips forward and I could feel his hardness against my center. I certainly wasn't going to complain. He could've taken me wherever he wanted to at this point.

We disrobed as quickly as we could and he pushed everything off his desk, letting it all fall to the floor in a messy pile. He laid me down across it and then he hovered over me, ready to enter.

He teased me for a moment, he was about to enter but then he pulled back when I pushed my hips forward; he smirked and repeated the motion again.

"Malfoy!" I shouted in frustration and then entered me, making me scream again.

His strokes were slow and he kissed and nibbled at my neck. "Do you know how many times I've imagined fucking you across this desk?" he growled out, following his statement with a hard thrust and I arched under him with a whimper.

"So many times, when we were all in here, that I wanted to kick the rest of them out so I could have you squirming beneath me like you are now." Another hard thrust.

"Of course you wouldn't have let me touch you then…but you'll let me do anything now, won't you?" he whispered, his warm breath tickling my skin. He gave another quick, hard thrust and then returned to his slow and even pace and I was growing more frustrated.

Gripping his hair, I pulled his face up so it was level with mine. I wrapped one leg around his hips, pushing him further into me and I said, "Shut up and fuck me, Malfoy."

With a roguish grin he kissed me and he had me screaming beneath him in no time. After we came, he collapsed on top of me and after he caught his breath, he rolled off me slightly; as much as he could without falling off the desk.

The clock struck six and he groaned.

"What is it?" I asked looking at the top of his blonde head.

"Blaise and Theo will be here in half an hour."

I stroked his hair, loving how soft it felt under my fingers. "What're they coming over for?"

"Last minute planning for the raid." With and exasperated huff, he managed to get up and start putting his clothes back on.

I followed suit and asked him, "You won't need me to come here later will you?"

"No, you have the rest of the evening to yourself."

"Alright." And when I had the rest of my clothes on, I said, "I'll see you tonight."

Before I could walk away, he kissed me thoroughly and then he allowed me to leave the room.

I walked to my room, intending to take a long shower. When I got to my room, I was surprised to see a large brown and white owl sitting on the desk, with a small package attached to its leg. When I walked over to it, I saw that it had dropped a letter onto the desk. I freed the bird from the burden it had carried and after nipping my hand, it flew out the window. I didn't understand at first how that window was even opened, but I realized that I came in here so little now that I never even noticed I'd left it open from when the weather was still warm.

After closing the window, I opened the letter.

_H –_

_I've heard from R. He'll be meeting me at home in two days. In the box I've sent you, is a portkey. Use it at 10 PM on Friday. _

_He told me he has information of the utmost importance. _

_See you soon,_

_P _


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

After reading Pansy's letter, I slipped it under the mattress of my bed. I figured Malfoy wouldn't accidently come across it there. I put the portkey in the back corner of the bottom drawer in my desk. I spent the rest of the night and the following day contemplating whether or not I should tell Malfoy about Pansy's letter. I feared that if I told him, he wouldn't allow me to go or he would insist that he went too. I couldn't risk that, since that would expose Pansy's secret, which she explicitly told me to keep secret from Malfoy.

I felt incredibly guilty though. I had just gotten upset with him because he kept his plans hidden from me and here I was doing the same thing.

I was in his study with him before he left for the raid in Glasgow. We were sitting on one of the couches together, he was lying on his back, with his head in my lap and I was stroking his hair.

"You're quieter than usual tonight, Hermione," Malfoy commented at one point after a long stretch of silence. He was gazing up at me with a small smile etched into his face.

"I'm just worried about you," I replied, placing one of my hands over both his, which were resting on his stomach.

This wasn't exactly a lie, but that wasn't the most prevalent thought in my mind. I was confident that he would return unscathed. I was really only thinking about Pansy's letter, about what information Ron had. I couldn't wait to see him; it had been too long since I'd seen my best friend. I was still overwhelmed with joy that he hadn't been killed. I almost never expected to hear from him again, it had felt to me as though he was lost from the world. I wanted to tell Malfoy about this, but determined it would be best if I kept my mouth shut. Especially now, since he had to leave for a raid in five minutes. All of his energy must be focused on the raid.

His smile broadened, as though he was happy that I was concerned for his well being. He took my hand between his and said cockily, "You've got nothing to worry about, Granger. I'll make it back in one piece, I always do."

"Of course you will," I said. "You should probably get going though," I continued, glancing at the clock.

With a groan he stood up while looking at the clock. "Yeah, you're right."

He pulled me up so I was standing with him. He ran his hands through my hair and then pulled me into a tight hug.

"I'll see you in a few hours," he said when he pulled back.

I pecked him on the lips and said, "Be careful."

He flashed me a smile and then apparated.

I felt the tension lift from my shoulders once he left. I hated that I felt relieved once he was gone, but I felt horrible for keeping secrets. The fact that I felt so guilty was disconcerting in itself.

For the rest of the night, until I eventually went to bed, I tried to plan how I would leave here without him noticing tomorrow night. I didn't come up with anything and I was really worried about how I would pull this off without his notice. Not going wasn't even an option; I would have to risk sneaking out even if I have to deal with Malfoy's wrath when I return.

When I had almost fallen asleep, I felt Malfoy get into the bed with me.

"Hermione, are you awake?"

"Sort of," I replied turning over so I could look at him.

"Did it go well?" I asked.

"Yes, everything went according to plan," he responded as he stroked my hair.

I suddenly thought how surreal this whole situation was. I was in bed and content with Draco Malfoy. Draco…I realized that I'd never called him by his first name before. I wanted to test it out, hear the way his name rolled from my lips, but I was afraid to for some reason.

"Hermione?" he said calling me out of my thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"You are far away tonight aren't you?" he said with a small smile. He brushed his thumb across my cheek and the asked, "Will you rub my back? The way you used to after those raids?"

"Of course," I replied.

He turned over and I rubbed his back until we both fell asleep.

* * *

Draco was out for most of the day and he left me with the house to myself. He no longer bothered asking Armand, Nott, or Zabini to look out for me when he wasn't here, since he had given me my wand and I could look out for myself. It wasn't until late that he returned and dragged me to the kitchen to eat with him.

"Morons! They're all such morons!" he was complaining.

"Malfoy, please explain to me what it is you've been droning on about," I said for the hundredth time.

"I was in Paris all day, Hermione. Dealing with a bunch of idiots," he said as we sat down at the table waiting for the house elves to prepare his food. I had eaten a little over an hour before, so I declined the offer to eat again.

"What happened?"

"Well you know that it's no secret that I have the general support of the country? They haven't publically announced they are on my side, but technically I have their support."

"Yes…"

"I spent all day in a conference with the French minister trying to convince him to openly support my cause and allow me to open offices in the country. The only person I had on my side was Leon, the rest of them are too thick to see the benefits of supporting me," he said. During his tirade, his sandwich was placed in front of him and he took a large, angry bite.

"Why don't the others support you?"

"Well, they all support me, it's just that there's large numbers of people in southern France who are against Voldemort and me, and they threaten an uprising if they allow my offices built there."

"Do you really need those offices though?" I asked as he took another bite from his sandwich.

"I can expand my influence throughout the country with offices established there, plus it will be easier to assemble when the final battle rolls around," he said after swallowing.

"You know, I'm surprised you haven't just taken care of the naysayers in the south yourself," I said.

"Are you suggesting that I kill them?" Draco asked after swallowing another bite. He was watching me intently with an amused look.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly condone it, but it just seemed like something you would do."

He smiled. "Look at you…who would've thought Miss Hermione Granger would be giving me ideas to kill anyone who gets in my way," he taunted.

"So you actually didn't consider it?"

"No…it might've passed through my mind at some point but I instantly dismissed it because it isn't even an option."

"Why not?"

"Those are your people, aren't they?"

"Yes, we're apparently to be fighting for the same cause, but that has nothing to do with your decisions," I stated.

"Sure it does," he said simply. "Wouldn't you be angry with me if I did that?"

It didn't take much consideration. "Yes, I would."

"So there you go, that's why I couldn't do it," he said with some finality, as though he realized what kind of power this gave me over him and he wasn't sure whether it was a good or bad thing to vocalize this. My feelings and opinions influenced the choices he made all the time, even when they don't directly include me.

I realized that I could take great advantage of this power; I could make suggestions and requests, which would affect the rest of the world. If I had any ambition, I could exercise my desires through him. He would do almost anything I wanted; I have him completely at my mercy. Lucky for him, I am not that type of woman, who is hell bent on ruining a respectable man through my influence. I did briefly entertain the idea of asking him to abandon his crusade for world domination. I wondered how that would go down and I figured that would be the one thing he wouldn't give up for me.

Regardless, I was strangely touched by this. I never dreamed he tried so hard to please me.

"And I wouldn't even be able to do it and then lie to you about it. Not only because you would inevitably find out but because I really don't like lying to you."

This made me curious about something. "When was the last time you attacked a group of resistors?"

"Well there was that one time in Germany, but it wasn't a formal attack and in all fairness, I was the one who was accosted, but none since you came here actually."

"And you don't for me?" I asked quietly.

He shrugged. "At first, it was just because I decided to focus more on the Death Eaters only…but for awhile now I haven't made any attack because I know it would upset you." I could tell from his tone he didn't think this was such a big deal anymore. But I did.

"Malfoy…," I said quietly and he took another bite from his sandwich. There was one bite-size piece left on his plate, which he continued to stare down at, even as I put my hand over his on the table.

"Draco…," I said even more softly and his eyes flew to my face, an intense look radiating from them. His chewing slowed and he slowly swallowed his food.

I gave him a small smile, and whispered, "Thank you."

He twined his fingers through mine, holding my right hand tightly. His eyes didn't lose their heated glint, but he said with a smirk, "Don't start getting all mushy now, Hermione."

He looked down at his plate. "Will you eat this last bite? I really don't want any more."

With my other hand I reached across the table, grabbed the chunk of sandwich and popped it into my mouth.

"Besides," he began after a pause, "I've got a meeting with the southerners in a few days to convince them that we could be allies, since we're both fighting the same war against Voldemort."

"Oh, well aren't you clever. How do you expect to convince them? I can assure you it won't be easy," I replied smiling.

"With my charm and wit, of course. I'll just give a convincing speech about uniting to reach a common goal…blah, blah, blah. Your types love a good speech about unity and acceptance and I'll give 'em just that," he said with confidence.

Amused, I said, "I'm not so sure. I wouldn't be surprised if they simply attacked you on the spot."

"They've already agreed to hear what I've got to say, so the odds are already in my favor."

"Well that is surprising."

"Your lack of confidence in me is a little disappointing, Hermione. I think I may need to do something to change that," he said looking at me roguishly.

I really didn't have time for what he was suggesting and I looked up at the clock on the wall, noticing that it was almost ten o'clock.

"Listen, Draco…I'm really tired. I think I'm going to head to bed a little early tonight," I said.

I thought a look of disappointment passed over his face briefly, but he just said, "Alright…I've got some more work to do so I'll be there later."

I stood up and pulled my hand slowly out of his. I couldn't help but think he seemed a little dejected all of a sudden. I moved closer to him and ran my hands through his hair and he turned in his seat so he was facing me. I brushed his hair back away from his forehead and he looked up at me, placing his hands on my hips.

"If there's something you need to talk about, I can stay," I said, hoping he wouldn't say yes because I needed to leave soon if I wanted to use the portkey.

"No, nothing at all," he said after a brief pause and I leaned down to kiss him.

I stepped away and began walking towards the door and he said, "Night, Hermione."

I continued walking and when I reached the door I looked back and said, "Maybe I'll wait up for you."

I left the room and heard him call out after me, "You better!"

I made my way from the kitchen to my bedroom as quickly as I could. It was two minutes to ten when I arrived and I walked over to the desk and took out the small box still sitting in the bottom drawer of the dresser. When the clock finally read ten, praying that Malfoy wouldn't come up to bed anytime soon, I took hold of the portkey and felt myself spinning out of the room. I arrived in a small study and once I got my bearings, I saw Pansy sitting on a dark blue cushioned couch in front of me.

"Hermione! I'm so glad you're here. Does Draco know you're here?" she said standing up.

"No, he doesn't. Where's Ron?" I asked looking around the room as though expecting to see him hiding somewhere.

She gestured to a door to her right, "He needed to use the loo. He should be out in a moment. I guess we should make this quick, so Draco doesn't find out?"

I nodded. "Yeah, that would be best."

At that moment I heard the door click and then push open. A smile a mile wide stretched across my face as Ron entered the room.

"Ron!" I shouted and threw myself into his open arms.

"Aw, Hermione! Watch it, I can't breathe here," he said gruffly into my hair but he kept me in a tight hug.

When I stepped back, I gave him a once over, getting a good look at him. His hair was longer and he had a beard. He looked thinner than he used to be, and felt that way too when I hugged him. But other than looking a little worn out, he was still the same old Ron.

He too appeared to be looking me over and he said, "You're looking good for a prisoner, Hermione." Draco's tendency to keep me well dressed wasn't lost on him.

Not wanting to get into talking about Draco whatsoever, I said, "Yeah, yeah Ron…Pansy told me you have something important to talk about."

He nodded, "Yeah, let's sit down."

Ron sat next to Pansy who was already on the couch and I sat in a large armchair to Ron's right, at the head of the coffee table we were seated around. Pansy placed her hand gently on Ron's thigh, near his knee, and she watched him with a lovesick look on her face, as though still unable to believe that he's actually here. This face on Pansy was slightly disconcerting, only because it's so out of her character. The look on Ron's face as he looked down at her was equally astonishing. I know that he never looked at me that way. I wondered if Draco and I looked so ridiculous when we are together.

Ron focused his eyes on me then for a moment, smiling, and then he said abruptly, "I know where Voldemort is hiding."

I blanched for a moment. Pansy didn't seem too perturbed by this information, so I assumed he must have told her earlier. "Ron how did you find him? When? Where is he?"

"Woah, one question at a time there champ. Well first off, I should tell you that finding him was my reason for leaving."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, somewhat irritated. If he'd only told me, I might have still been worried, but I could have at least known he had a plan.

"Well I tried to convince you to come with me, but I didn't want anyone left behind to know of my plan. Less chance of being discovered, you see," he said.

"You thought you couldn't trust me with that, even if I stayed behind?"

"I couldn't take the risk, Hermione. And it's a good thing too, since you've been captured by Malfoy." He said Malfoy with disgust and almost felt compelled to defend his name.

Instead, I just said, "Well you worried needlessly because he hasn't asked anything about you."

He seemed surprised by this. "Really? Well, why not?"

"He thinks you're rather worthless, love," Pansy said.

"Worthless?" Ron said indignantly.

"Yeah, he thinks you were just Harry's useless lackey," Pansy continued in gentle tones, since this was apparently affecting Ron's self-image.

"That tosser! I'll show him who's worthless," he bit out, getting even more worked up.

"Oh get over it Ron," I said. "It's better he didn't think it was necessary to find you."

"Yeah, I guess," he sulked like a typical man who doesn't like to have his strength and valor doubted.

Pansy and I shared a look before she said, "Now continue with your story, Ron."

"Well I left England and went to Spain as you know…and I guess Pansy told you what I did there for the most part…" he said trailing off with a small smile.

"Yeah…but what happened after, when you'd fallen off the face of the earth for two years?" I asked, encouraging him to finally get to the meat of the story.

"I left Spain with a few others and we travelled discretely through all of Europe, following any clues of Voldemorts whereabouts. I won't even try telling you about all the strange people and places we saw on our way, that requires far more time than we have right now. But two months ago, we discovered Voldemorts location."

"Where?"

"He's hiding deep in the mountains of Romania…maybe four hours away from Bucharest. We stayed there for awhile after finding him, to see what kind of protection he has, and I hate to say it's strong."

"How so?"

"He's got a fortress within the rocks, there's protection within and outside, lots of strong, old magic, and he's particularly well guarded by the werewolves. They practically overrun the area. Two of the men I travelled with were killed by them, which is why Dean and I had to leave."

"Dean Thomas?" I asked, surprised to hear of another resistance fighter I knew from school that was still alive.

"Yeah, I ran into him while I was in France. He was living in the south, just outside Marseille with Neville Longbottom."

"Neville? I had no idea he was still alive, I thought he'd been killed," I said astounded.

"Yeah, I'd thought so too. Apparently he started that rumor about himself before he left England, hoping no one would come after him. You should see the community they live in…they've built up the largest open resistance group in Europe."

"Wow…so Dean is back in France now?"

Ron nodded. I wondered if Draco knew that he would be meeting with Dean and Neville when he goes to France again in a few days. I almost mentioned that Draco was going down there, but realized that would be too much information, plus Draco probably wouldn't want me sharing that. I was momentarily stunned that I wouldn't share everything I knew about Draco's plans with Ron, my greatest friend and ally.

"Hermione, I have to ask how horrible Malfoy has been," Ron said calling me out of my thoughts.

"Uh…well not too horrible…" I said trailing off, not sure how much to tell him.

"Not too horrible? What does that even mean?"

Oh, why did he even have to ask? Should I tell him that I've been fucking Draco for weeks now, that we've formed an unlikely alliance, and that I care about him?

"He's been civil, Ron," I said.

"That's hard to believe…why it that?"

"Well we've sort of been working together," I responded.

"Working together? What on earth could you be working on with Malfoy?" Ron asked shrewdly. Pansy seemed to be listening more closely too, since she too knew nothing of our plan.

"Well we've been working on this plan with Nott, Zabini, and Armand Toussaint."

"Who's that?"

"He's from France, you might recognize his brother's name, Leon Toussaint, who's an advisor of the French Minister," I said.

"Actually, I do know who that is…apparently he's respected there, even amongst the resistors in spite of his alliance to Malfoy. He must be a swine," he concluded.

I pursed my lips. "Well that's for you to decide, but I've been working with his brother on this plan Draco came up with."

"What is it you're plotting with them?" Ron asked.

I paused before answering, "I can't say. I have to talk to Draco first before I can divulge anything."

Ron looked angry, "Draco? What's with this _Draco_ business?"

I didn't say anything.

"Well?" Ron persisted, irritated by my silence. "Why've you got to ask his permission? Since when does he have a say in what you do?"

"Since we started working together, Ron," I said, getting irritated myself.

"So what, you're on his side now?"

"Only temporarily," I replied hoping some of the doubt of my own conviction to this statement wasn't noticeable. I truly didn't know what to do about Malfoy when we conquered Voldemort. I knew I had to leave him; I couldn't stand by him as a dictator. But it would kill me to do so. I hated the thought of leaving him so much I wanted to break down every time it crossed my mind. I refused to contemplate the implications of these thoughts.

"Don't give her such a hard time Ron," Pansy cut in on my behalf. "We're all on the same side while Voldemort's still alive."

"I guess that's true," Ron said grudgingly.

"And speaking of being on the same side," Pansy began, "I was hoping that you could tell Draco what Ron's just told you."

"What? Why should she do that?" Ron asked, raising his voice far louder than necessary.

"Oh settle, down Ron. He'll need to know this, so he can fulfill whatever it is they are planning."

"But what if his plan is something horrifying?" Ron asked. "Why can't we do this on our own? I know many resistors who would stand up and fight against Voldemort, no matter the odds."

"First of all, Ron, would Hermione take part in any plan that's dubious? And second, sure there are many resistors, but not enough to make an effective stand. Draco has the manpower to make an attack; his forces are the only ones that can defeat Voldemort. If the rebels fight with Draco, we'll be unstoppable."

"And what happens after…when Malfoy takes all the success onto himself, and takes over?" Ron questioned with an edge to his voice. I actually had the same question myself.

"We'll have to see what happens, Ron. But you can't deny that if we fought together, we'd undoubtedly defeat Voldemort," Pansy said.

After a few moments of intense thought, probably trying to find a valid argument to expose her flawed logic, he said, "Yes, I guess you're right."

"Of course I am," she said patting his leg.

"I should probably get going now then, before he realizes I'm gone," I said.

Pansy and Ron stood up. "Okay, I'll activate a portkey to take you back."

"I'll probably be seeing you guys soon enough. Once I tell Draco what you've told me Ron, he'll want to speak to you as soon as possible…if he doesn't kill me for leaving first," I said.

"If he hurts you, let me know," Ron said.

"He won't Ron, I'm only joking," I said, trying to laugh it off. Because although he might not hurt me, I knew he would be furious that I left without telling him, despite the good news I'm bringing back.

"But if he does," Ron persisted.

Rolling my eyes, I said, "I'll tell you."

"Good. I wish we had more time to talk. I have the best stories from travelling, Hermione. You wouldn't believe them," he said.

"I'll be seeing you again soon, we'll talk more then," I said as Pansy returned to us with a portkey for me to take.

"Here you go Hermione, it'll take you right back to the room you left in Draco's house."

"Thanks Pansy," I said.

"Keep in touch," she said.

Nodding, I took the portkey and I felt myself being pulled out of the room.

I landed back in my room, stumbling a little but I caught myself before I fell to the floor. I threw the portkey into the bottom drawer of the desk and then I made my way quickly into Draco's room, hoping he hadn't come to bed yet.

I pushed the door open quietly and to my dismay I saw him already there. I felt my stomach drop as I peered into the room. He'd apparently had some sort of tantrum; much of the room was upturned, as though he searched every nook and cranny of it, as if he thought I was just hiding from him. It didn't look as bad as the last time I'd walked in on him like this though.

He seemed calm now though, but breathing deeply, sitting on the couch against the far wall with his arms propped up on his legs and his head in his hands. I pushed the door open further and stepped into the room. Hearing the door, he abruptly lifted his head up and stared right at me.

"Where the hell were you?" he ground out, barely keeping his voice under control.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"Where the hell were you?" he ground out, barely keeping his voice under control.

I swallowed, afraid of his impending anger.

"Well, Granger?" he said, his voice rising.

I still didn't say anything, now berating myself for letting him scare me.

Finally cracking, he stood up, began walking towards me and shouted, "I asked you a question Granger! Where were you!?"

Squaring my shoulders, I looked right into his frighteningly livid face.

"I went out for a bit," I said already knowing this wasn't enough to pacify him.

"Oh did you? Did you just go out for a bit?" he said patronizingly, in an eerily calm voice. "Where the fuck did you go?!" he asked, once again shouting as he reached me.

He grabbed me by the shoulders, hard and glared down at me. I momentarily forgot what he'd just asked me.

"Answer me, damn it!" he shouted. He lifted his right hand off my shoulder and seeing it move closer to my face out of the corner of my eye, I flinched away.

He let out a furious growl. "For fuck's sake, I'm not going to hit you Granger!" He placed the hand on the side of my face, forcing me to look up at him. His eyes were hurt and angry, and I said, "I went to Pansy's house."

He was immediately taken aback. "Pansy's house? What the hell for?"

"Can we please sit down, it's quite a long explanation," I said.

"Fine," he said and led us over to the couch he was just sitting on. Once we sat down, wrapped his hand around mine gently, despite the fact that he was still visibly furious with me.

"Explain," he said and he peered down at me with emotionless eyes.

"Well, I should start by saying that Pansy has known since Armand and Cecile's wedding that Mya is actually me and we've somehow formed some type of friendship since then, granted we only talk at formal functions…until tonight that is, but anyways -."

"How would you even become friends Granger? If she hates muggleborns as much as I think, she'd be a downright bitch towards you," Draco cut in.

Unfortunately, I would now have to expose Pansy's secret. She must have known this was likely to happen when she gave me permission to tell Draco everything that Ron said. What was scary was that I probably would have told Draco whether Pansy was okay with it or not.

"Well, she actually had a change of opinion towards me, I don't know about all other muggleborns, but she accepts me because she's actually in a relationship with Ron Weasley."

"Excuse me," Draco said as though this was the most ludicrous thing he'd ever heard.

"You heard me. She's with Ron Weasley…I won't go into too much detail, it's really their own business, but they met in Spain while she was on vacation and he had just escaped from England and then he left there after a few months, after which neither of us had heard anything from him in years."

Draco seemed more perturbed than necessary. "How did this go unnoticed? Surely I should've noticed something like this…"

"No one else knows, she kept it a secret. Why does it bother you so much? Oh, wait, you must be jealous that she's obviously not in love with you anymore and hasn't been for years," I said rather sardonically towards the end.

"Are you nuts? Why should I be jealous? And don't go turning the questions on me, Granger. You're the one who was caught sneaking back into the house."

Not listening to him, I kept the focus on him and asked him another question, hoping to quell his anger. "What happened between you and Pansy anyways?"

He was a little surprised by the question, but he said, "You mean why we broke it off?"

I nodded.

"Well we started dating back in school, when we were actually attracted to each other, but then we found out we were betrothed. Our parents had been planning our marriage since we were children, but only decided to tell us once we were both seventeen. After that the whole relationship went downhill because there was so much pressure and we both wanted to end it, but we felt like we had to go through with it."

"Why didn't you?"

"I'm getting to that, Granger. We kept pushing the wedding back, eventually agreeing that we'd marry at twenty-one. But both of our parents died before then and once they were dead, we felt no more obligation to be in a strained relationship."

When he mentioned his dead parents, I remembered when he mentioned that his own were killed by Voldemort.

"Voldemort killed your parents, didn't he?"

He nodded.

"Why? What happened?" I asked softly.

He shrugged. "The usual reason Voldemort kills any of his followers. They disappointed him. It was after a particularly bad raid, which they were leading and he lost a lot of men. He said that it was the last time they would disappoint him, and then he killed them on the spot."

"And you witnessed?"

"Yes," he said, still not allowing any emotion to infiltrate his voice or his expression.

"I'm sorry. That must've been awful," I said quietly, gripping his hand tighter.

"It was devastating to watch. I loved my parents, but they taught me to survive and persevere, not to wallow in sorrow over any type of loss. So I decided to focus all my rage at defeating Voldemort rather than becoming weak and allowing him to kill me too."

"So that's why you changed? I always thought you were a weak and scared boy back in school," I said.

He seemed mildly affronted before answering, "Well, I will admit that I was a little overwhelmed when I first got involved with Voldemort, but I had to grow out of that if I wanted to survive."

And before I could get another word in, he said, "Christ, you make it so hard to stay mad at you. Finish explaining yourself and stop turning the attention on me."

His angry face was back on, but I could tell it wasn't as sincere as before.

"Where did I leave off?"

"Pansy and the Weasel are apparently together," he said, apparently still disgusted.

"Oh okay…well she heard from him a few days ago, when he was on his way back home I guess and she owled me to let me know when he planned to arrive."

"Wait a minute…she owled you and I didn't even notice?"

"Nope, I was really worried you would though," I replied.

"I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on you it seems," he said narrowing his eyes at me.

"Excuse me?" I said. This did not bode well for me.

"What?" he said innocently.

"Keep a closer eye on me? I thought I wasn't a prisoner here anymore!" I replied angrily.

"What did I tell you? Stop digressing, we'll talk about that after," he said with finality.

"Fine. So she owled me, telling me to be at her house at ten o'clock tonight. She sent me a portkey so I could get there and everything went according to plan…except for you noticing that I was gone."

He opened his mouth to say something but I cut him off, continuing with my story, "So Ron was there, I finally got to see him after two years and he'd made the greatest discovery while he was travelling through Europe."

"Which is?" Draco asked clearly not expecting to be impressed by anything discovered by Ron.

Smirking, I said, "He knows where Voldemort's hiding."

Draco nearly jumped out of his skin. Grabbing my face between his hands, he said roughly, "He knows? You're sure he knows?"

"Yes, he's found his hideout in Romania. He was there for awhile, observing the place before he had to leave."

"Why did he leave?" he asked, still sounding a little dazed.

"He was travelling with a few others, a couple of them were killed by the werewolves, which apparently dominate the area," I responded.

"They're protecting Voldemort of course," he inferred. "He's always had a ridiculously strong connection with them."

I nodded. "Yes, and that reminds me. He was travelling with Dean Thomas, who's now back in southern France. Did you know that Dean and Neville Longbottom established the resistance group you're meeting with soon?"

"Yes, of course," he said distractedly, turning away from me, already taking in the fact that he now knows of Voldemorts location. It's only a matter of time now before his dreams become reality.

"Why didn't you mention it earlier?" I asked.

"It slipped my mind. Do you know what this means Hermione?" he said facing me again.

"I've got some vague idea."

He stood up abruptly. "I've got to tell Blaise and Theo as soon as possible. Oh and Armand too, of course…tomorrow over breakfast will work." He faced me again, "Then we're going to meet with Weasley and Pansy, get all the details we can and start to formulate a concrete plan. He didn't tell you anything else about the place?"

"Not really, we didn't have time to go into much detail."

"No matter…we'll hear it all tomorrow," he said before he grabbed my hands and pulled me up to stand with him. "Everything's falling into place perfectly, Hermione."

He pulled my arms around his neck and then wrapped his own around my waist and kissed me languidly, then pulled me closer, into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry for being angry with you," he whispered by my ear. "If you'd simply told me what you left for, I'd have been fine."

This reminded me of his comment earlier, about keeping a closer eye on me. "Really? Because I have a hard time believing that," I said pulling back so I could see his face. "I really thought I wasn't a prisoner here anymore, but your reaction to finding out I'd merely left the house was out of line."

"I know," he said, hanging his head slightly. "I'm sorry…I just…I thought you might've left me."

"Why? I already told you I wouldn't leave you," I said pulling my fingers through the hair on the back of his head.

He buried his head in my neck, sort of resting it on my shoulder. "But you've been so quiet lately. I just thought that maybe you'd changed your mind."

"Good Lord Draco, if I'd changed my mind, you'd know about it. I've only been quiet because I didn't know if I should tell you about meeting Ron, I hated not being able to tell you. But seriously you can't react that way again. And if I'm really free to come and go as I please, you can't put me through the inquisition every time."

"Fine, but you could at least tell me where you're going," he said.

"How about I'll at least tell you _when_ I'm going, so you aren't worried when I suddenly vanish."

"Okay, that's acceptable, I guess," he said now disinterested in conversation as his lips began tracing my neck.

"Besides, I'll want to tell you what I'm doing most of the time anyways, so you've really got nothing to worry about," I said turning my head to expose more of my neck to him. His hands were moving up and down my back, pushing and pulling me closer to him. It felt as though we'd been welded together, the heat between us was growing so intense and my knees were beginning to feel a little wobbly.

"You'll want to tell me? Are you sure you won't feel the need to run to Weasley now that he's back?" he asked nipping my jaw.

"Someone sounds jealous," I teased.

"Do I need to be?" he asked, pulling back to watch me intently.

"No, he's only my best friend."

"Good," he said and then he kissed me fervently. His hands were now everywhere on me and when he placed them on my bum, pulling me closer to him, I jumped up, locking my legs around his waist.

He walked over to the bed and laid me down. We were both already breathing heavily and he just looked down at me for a bit before he draped himself over me, attacking my neck again. I brought his lips back to mine as I began undoing the top buttons of his shirt. He pulled my shirt over my head, flinging it to the floor and he ran his hands over my chest and stomach as he leaned in to kiss me again. A moment later my bra was off and so was his shirt, both landing somewhere on the floor. He kissed his way down my body slowly, while he unbuttoned and began pulling at my jeans.

My jeans and underwear were removed in one motion, then he stood up and swiftly removed his own pants, leaving him naked in front of me which I briefly admired before he situated himself over me again.

We both moaned when he entered me and it wasn't long before he picked up his pace, both of us racing towards our peak. With every thrust, I raised my hips to meet his.

After we came, he rolled off of me and laid on his back next to me. I tried to gauge his mood at the moment, trying to predict whether he would pull me to him before falling asleep or if he'd leave me be. He wasn't always into cuddling after sex, which didn't really bother me one way or another. He seemed to appreciate this about me.

He even stated one night after a wild romp when we were both winding down, and growing sleepier, "You're one of the only women I've slept with who doesn't make me spoon afterwards."

I laughed. "I'm surprised you even stayed around long enough to be weaseled into it."

"Well I preferred to wait until they were asleep before leaving. That way I don't have to answer any questions."

I laughed again, despite the fact that I should've been disgusted by how he treated women. I couldn't bring myself to care at the moment however. "You're so bad, Malfoy," I said.

"Does it bother you when I don't want to cuddle?" he asked.

"No, you were just all over me. I think I could use a breather too," I replied still laughing.

Now he was laughing. "You're lovely, Granger."

That comment had startled me into silence, which he didn't seem to notice, and he rolled over and fell asleep.

Whether he pulled me to him or not said something about his overall mood – this is what I told myself anyways. When he wanted to cuddle, he was feeling particularly protective or affectionate that day. If he didn't want to he was either too tired or he wasn't in the mood to have me hanging all over him. But even when we fell asleep without touching, I always woke up the next morning to realize he'd gathered me to him at some point during the night.

This was just one of the many methods I'd been using to figure out the enigma that is Draco Malfoy since I began sleeping with him. He's not so straightforward with his feelings, so I have to resort to intuitive reasoning to figure them out.

On this night, I was expecting him to pull me to him or for him to wrap himself around me due to his earlier concern that I'd left him.

He surprised me by doing something out of the ordinary. He reached out with his left hand until it came into contact with my right, and he laced his fingers through mine. I expected him to say something, but his eyes were closed and his breathing was heavy and calm. He showed no sign of wanting to talk and I realized that I didn't want to either. I didn't want to ruin the calm state we'd entered. So I continued lying there on my back next to Draco with my hand in his, resting between us. Every so often, his thumb would make short, soft strokes against my hand and then he'd stop; then I'd make the same movements with my thumb against his hand in return. We laid that way until we both fell asleep.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

I woke up alone in the morning and only after taking a shower and dressing did I notice a note from Draco sitting on the desk.

_I'm having breakfast in London with Armand, Blaise, and Theo. I've talked to Pansy and Weasley about meeting, so they are coming over at two. I most likely won't be home until then, so just make sure to be in the study by two. _

_Draco_

Above his name was something that had been scratched out. I stared at the scribble for a few seconds before wondering if he'd written _Love _without realizing what he was doing. The smudge was the right length for a four letter word in his hand writing, but for all I know he could have just accidently misspelled his name on his first attempt at writing it.

I was amused that he scratched it out and somewhat touched that he wrote it in the first place; if he did, of course. As I walked down to the kitchens to get myself some breakfast, I thought of my feelings for him. If I wrote him a letter or left him a note, would I feel compelled to write _Love_? Did I love him?

I pondered over this as I ate my bacon and eggs. Our relationship had been growing stronger by the day. I knew I would probably have to leave him soon, it won't be long before Voldemort if vanquished, but I've done nothing to quell the intensity of my feelings towards him to make it easier on myself to leave him. And I've done nothing to subdue his feelings either, however strong they may be at this point.

I felt comfortable with him. And although I can handle myself without his protection, he does make me feel safe; he's someone I know I can count on under any circumstance. He's my equal in intelligence. Once I got past the irritation I experienced every time I encountered him, and realized how much I enjoy his company; he makes me happy.

I'd grown used to his every mannerism and habit. While there were some that grate my nerves every so often, I've accepted them and learned how to work around them, knowing there are probably some tendencies of mine that irritate him too. But it's more than that. Every negative attribute had somehow become almost endearing, which rather disgusted me on some level. His arrogance and his need to be in control. His secretive mentality that kept his innermost thoughts hidden from even me, although he'd become much more expressive as he grew used to our relationship. He was still far from being gushy and chatty about his feelings, of which I actually approved.

But he wasn't really so arrogant with me anymore, only sometimes, and I know now that he's joking anytime he is. I knew he was arrogant with many others still, but that didn't bother me, although I knew it should.

Of course I loved him. But would I ever tell him that?

Probably not.

It was about ten minutes until two o'clock when I arrived in the study. I was surprised to see Draco standing in the middle of the room.

He turned when he heard me close the door. "Good, you're here early. I wanted to talk to you before everyone else shows up," he said and we walked over to the couch and sat down.

"We are going to The Loe tomorrow," he said.

I was mildly surprised. "So soon?"

He nodded. "Yes. I really want to get everything underway as soon as possible now."

He looked so thoroughly excited; his eyes rarely lit up the way they were now.

"I'm so happy, Hermione. I almost have everything I've ever wanted."

And he did look happy, which made me happy too. Yes, I definitely loved him.

"I'm happy for you, Draco."

He took my hand and said, "We're going to have everything together."

I smiled, but didn't respond. When he realized I wasn't going to say anything, he turned the conversation in another direction asking, "So does Weasley know we're together?"

"Uh…no," I said in a tone that clearly said I wanted to keep it that way.

He got a glint in his eye that I didn't trust. "Why didn't you tell him?"

"It just never came up."

"Well it's coming up today," he said with a smirk.

"No, Draco, please don't say anything."

He apparently found this amusing. "Why not?"

"He'll be so angry. I just don't want to deal with it."

He smiled. "I know. I can't wait to see his reaction."

"Why would you want that?"

"Because his anger and your distress amuses me."

I narrowed my eyes at him and opened my mouth to respond when Pansy and Ron appeared in the room. Malfoy threw me one last smirk before we stood up to greet them. Armand, Nott, and Zabini apparated into the room a moment later.

After Armand and Ron were introduced to each other, we all settled into the plush couches and chairs around the coffee table. I sat on the couch between Draco and Armand. Ron and Pansy were directly across from us and Zabini and Nott sat at the opposite ends of the table.

"So Pansy, you've been keeping all kinds of juicy secrets haven't you?" Zabini said.

Pansy rolled her eyes and Nott cut in on her behalf, "Shut up Blaise. You've got plenty of your own too." He was clearly referring to Holly, and Zabini suddenly looked sullen.

"Did something happen with Holly?" I asked.

"She wanted to return to her family and go back to school."

"You can still see her you know," I said.

He just shrugged, and Draco said, "Don't encourage it Hermione. I told him he shouldn't be wasting his time with her to begin with."

"There's nothing wrong with dating a muggle," I retorted.

"Blaise you were dating a muggle?" Pansy cut in with a mixture of amusement and surprise.

Zabini shot her a glare.

"That's just priceless. Who would've ever guessed?" She continued on.

"Cut it out," he said.

Pansy smiled, clearly amused but let it go.

"Looks like the only one here who isn't a blood traitor is Theo," Draco said. I knew exactly where he was going with this and I shot him a death glare out of the corner of my eye, which he ignored.

"Well technically I haven't either, Draco. Ron is pureblooded."

"Sure, but he's a blood traitor which nullifies his purity."

Pansy and I both scoffed at this.

"Are you saying you've soiled you _perfect_ reputation with a muggle too, Malfoy?" Ron said sarcastically.

"Oh no, never a muggle. I wouldn't sink that low," he said smirking. "I've found myself a muggleborn instead," he continued as he placed his hand on my knee.

Ron's eyes shot open and he stood abruptly. "Hermione, tell me he's lying!"

"You just had to didn't you?" I said to Malfoy, who smirked in response, before I addressed Ron.

"Ron sit down. You're acting like an idiot." Nott, Zabini, and Draco chuckled at this, which made Ron turn an even brighter shade of red.

"Please Ron, just sit down. There's no reason to be so angry."

Pansy reached up and pulled on his arm, and he complied, taking his seat next to her. She kept her hand on him, probably hoping to keep him a bit more controlled.

"How could he have possibly convinced you to give him a chance Hermione?" Rom asked in a calmer tone than I would've expected.

"It just happened Ron, neither of us really planned it."

"But why Hermione?"

"I don't really need to explain that to you Ron. You're free to make your own choices and I can make mine. We aren't discussing this further right now. Not when there's more important things to discuss."

Draco then put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him on the couch just to watch Ron's eyes narrow in annoyance.

I rolled my eyes at Draco's antics and wormed my way out of his grasp. "Anyways, Ron we need you to tell us everything about Voldemort's hideout and anything else of importance you saw in your travels."

Ron then dove into the story of his travels. In the time before finally finding Voldemort, he met many resistors throughout Europe who would apparently be willing to help in any fight against him. I was surprised to learn that other people I went to Hogwarts with who I believed to be dead were still alive and fighting for the cause. Luna Lovegood who is married to Neville. Ron found his brother Bill, the only other remaining Weasley, after years of absence. Still married to Fleur, they are hiding in Denmark with their two children.

When he finally discovered Voldemort with Dean and two men he met during his travels that I did not know, they staked out the area for almost a month just watching and observing. They became familiar with the methods used to keep the cavernous hideout protected. They learned the routines of the guards and of others sent on errands or raids in surrounding areas. Ron divulged information that was key to Draco's ability to make a successful fight against Voldemort and his death eaters.

"Weasley, I've got to hand it to you. This is the best information I've ever been given. Completely indispensible. Thank you for sharing this with us," Draco said when Ron finally finished.

Ron looked astounded at the compliment and I too was momentarily shocked.

"Well what choice do I have? Apparently Voldemort can't be defeated without your forces so I had to tell you."

Draco shrugged. "Still, the information has made you an important part of this team here," Draco said gesturing to the rest of us. "I'd like for you to help us make the plan of attack."

"I suppose I can do that. I'm just as eager to get rid of him as you are. Even if we don't have the same ideals and I don't support your quest for power."

"Well we'll just lay those differences aside for awhile. We can't begin the planning today however. Hermione, Theo, Blaise, Armand and I have been working on a plan of our own that will aid in bringing Voldemort to his knees. I cannot divulge this yet, not until after tomorrow, but as soon as possible we will tell both of you about it."

"Why can't you tell us now?" Ron asked. "I just shared plenty of secret information with you."

"Because we haven't finished working out the...uh details of this plan yet. We are dealing with an ancient and powerful magic here and until we've got everything figured out there, we cannot plan for anything else. It's my deepest secret and I cannot risk speaking too much on it until I'm more certain of what I'll be dealing with."

"Alright, Draco that sounds reasonable," Pansy said before Ron could cut in with another complaint. I had the feeling he wanted to be difficult on purpose.

"So we'll plan to meet at this time in two days. Does that work for everyone?" Draco asked.

Everyone around the table nodded and murmured agreements.

"Now Hermione and I have our own planning to do, so I don't mean to be rude and kick you out of my house but I think it's time that everyone left," Draco stated.

"Planning? Is that what you're calling it now?" Zabini teased.

"Shut up, Blaise."

Zabini smirked in response then apparated away and everyone else followed suit after brief goodbye's.

"Now you and I need to do some serious planning for tomorrow," Draco said looking at me.

I smirked, "Planning in the way Zabini means? Or in the true meaning of the word?"

He smirked back. "Zabini's way first. And probably a few times later too. Then we'll get down to serious business," he replied leaning in for a kiss as he pushed me back so I was lying on the couch.

* * *

Late at night, after all sorts of planning, Draco and I lied in bed together with his body curved around my own.

"Are you nervous about what we'll find tomorrow?" Draco asked as he brushed his lips over my shoulder and across to the back of my neck.

"Not too much. I'm more excited really about what we'll discover. It's something a regular mortal hasn't seen in centuries. This is going to be one of the exciting moments of my life. I can feel it."

"Really? This compares to the adventures you used to have with Potter and Weasley?"

"Yes, of course. And it's almost better in some ways," I replied.

"How so?"

I didn't respond for a moment, turning my head so it was pressing further into the bed. I didn't want him to see my face at all as I said, "Because this time it's with you."

He turned me from my side so I was laying on my back and he looked down at me. His eyes alternated gazing into my own and sweeping over my face, as though memorizing it. A goofy, yet charming closed lip smile slowly took shape on his face.

He swooped down and kissed me gently at first and then more passionately. From there we rolled around on the bed together until we were completely worn out.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The following morning, earlier than I would've preferred, Draco and I were standing by the edge of the Loe, discussing how we might be able to discover its presence. It was so early there was still a light fog surrounding us. The other edge of the lake wasn't even visible from where we were standing and the sun wasn't even completely up yet. I was felling rather lethargic, but despite that, I felt something here I hadn't felt anywhere else. It was definitely the presence of a strong magic that was pulling me. Draco didn't feel this, and I assumed I alone could sense it because I have this strain of magic in my blood. This is the residing place of my ancestors.

"You're certain this is the place?" Draco asked me.

"Yes, completely sure. I just have no idea how to find the entrance."

"We'll think of something."

I nodded. "I wonder if some of those ancient charms must be used."

"You remember many of them?" Draco questioned looking mildly surprised.

"Yes, I wasn't sure of what I'd need to know upon coming here so I learned many of the ancient spells I came across in my reading."

"I'm surprised. I never would've thought of doing that."

I shrugged. "I'm just smarter than you I suppose," I said in a joking tone.

"Oh look who's the arrogant one now," he replied as he wrapped his arm around my waist and turned me around to face him. "I think I'm rubbing off on you," he said with a smirk.

"Don't be ridiculous," I said trying to be serious but a smile was creeping up on my face. I didn't want watch him get the self-satisfied look on his face from knowing that he's rubbed off on my quite a bit in some respects so I pulled myself away and said, "Now quit distracting me. I need to think of the spells."

Smirking he stepped away from me but I could still feel his eyes intently on me as I paced beside the lake considering all the different spells I'd taught myself and what their effects might be in this situation. Finding the entrance would most likely require a combination of spells and charms. A place such as this would not be easily accessed.

The day passed slowly into early afternoon as I tried charms that I remembered from my research and charms that Draco suggested as well. It was close to one o'clock when Draco and I were setting down on a flat piece of land to eat the small lunch we brought along.

"God am I famished," I said before taking a bite out of my sandwich.

"You and me both. Are you sure there aren't any more spells we can try? You don't remember any more?" Draco replied.

Just before we decided to take this lunch break I expressed my frustration at not being able to think of anymore spells to try. It had been nearly an hour since I'd tried anything last. There wasn't even an inkling that we were getting close to finding the entrance to Avalon. The most promising moment was when I saw a shadowy movement in the water, but it merely turned out to be a fish gliding up towards the bank and then away.

"I don't know Draco, I'm trying. You've got to quit pestering me about it, you're ruining my concentration every time you open your mouth," I snapped.

He pulled a face. "Oh well excuse me, I've just been trying to help all day. No need to take your frustration out on me," he responded, yet not in an irritated tone. When I looked up at him he was smirking and I wondered if he found my aggravation amusing. He'd been in a surprisingly positive mood all day and I was the one letting this get to me. I decided I needed to pull myself together.

Not willing to apologize however, I continued eating my sandwich and the pulled out the second once I'd finished the first. Just before taking the first bite, the charm I knew I needed came to me. It was so obvious! It was distinctly marked in the reading as one of the many spells that could be spoken to grant entry into Avalon in the time that it was open. My head jerked up and I looked up at Draco with wide eyes. He still had his eyes on me and he asked what was wrong.

I didn't respond immediately but continued staring at him as what must have been a manic looking smile spread across my face. I dropped the sandwich and stood up and walked quickly to the edge of the lake. Draco quickly stood up and followed, shouting at me, "Hermione! Tell me what on earth is going on in that head of yours!"

Without stopping, I called over my shoulder, "I know what the spell is!"

At this I heard him pick up the pace and as I knelt by the edge of the lake, he had caught up and knelt beside me.

"I need to draw some of my blood in order to perform the spell," I said to Draco.

He picked my hand up and with the flick of his wand, I felt a prick on my forefinger and a second later, blood was rising to the surface. I let it build up for a bit, uncertain of how much was necessary, and I then swirled my hand in the lake reciting the spell, hoping this was the one.

"I belong to this land

I giveth my hand,

Make peace my sisters

I am of your own kind

I offer my blood,

My blood of your kind,

My blood of this land."

As I finished the spell, I stood up to look out over the lake to see if my words had any effect at all. Draco stood up beside me and when he noticed a movement in the center of the lake that I did not.

"There is a rippling in the center, but nothing out there to cause it from what I can see," he said quietly, looking intently over the lake.

As it became more pronounced, I too noticed it and as the ripples moved in our direction, a mist appeared over the surface of the lake. As the ripples grew, and the mist thickened, an old row boat, with an elfish looking man standing in it floated over. It appeared to be moving of its own accord. The man was not rowing or propelling the boat forward in any way.

He wore a thin cloak that was the color of the sea. His skin was almost white yet he had very dark eyes and long dark hair that flowed down his back. When he reached the edge and I could see his face more clearly, I saw that his face was particularly beautiful and serene. It was unlike any face found on earth, at least in this realm.

When his boat stopped at the edge he held out a hand and said, "My Lady and My Lord."

I looked at Draco and we both shared a long look before we both smiled in awe and satisfaction. I grabbed his hand and then turned back to the elfish man in the boat and placed my hand in his cold, elegant looking hand. We stepped into the boat but found nowhere to sit so we remained standing behind the man.

The boat began moving back towards the center of the lake and as it got closer, it gradually descended into the water. I was concerned about becoming soaked or of somehow being swept off the boat by the water. Draco must have been having the same thoughts because his grip on my hand tightened as water began spilling into the boat. As the water rose around us however, we could not feel it. As we became fully submerged and moved towards what a assumed was the bottom of the lake, the water flowing around my body felt more like a cool, light breeze than anything. We had been travelling for a few minutes when I could see figures glowing in the distance and I could hear voices that sounded like a light hum of beautiful music.

As we neared Avalon, I noticed that it was a large and intricate forest. And what I saw glowing were flowers along the roots of trees, parts of the trees themselves even seemed to glow. There were hundreds of what I thought were larger than normal insects, but they were tiny fairies. They did not communicate with us, or even take notice of us. They were in their own little world down here. Despite the fact that we were at the bottom of a lake when we finally landed at the bank, it was not dark. It looked like dusk, not quite dark but not light enough to be considered day time. When we stopped at the edge of the glowing forest, the man in the boat got out and held a his hand out to help me step out. This was of course completely unnecessary, but I accepted regardless.

He still said nothing to us and after we were on land, he returned to his boat and Draco and I stood there dumbfounded and uncertain of what we were to do.

"Well I don't really know where we should go from here," I told Draco flat out.

"Maybe we should ask him to direct us to others here," Draco suggested gesturing to the man in the boat, now just standing there stoically as though he had no idea we were there.

"I'll leave that to you," I said glancing at the man out of the corner of my eye, feeling certain he would be no help to us.

Draco stepped back near the boat and said, "Excuse me sir, could you point us in the direction of the other people who dwell here?"

The man did not betray any sign of having heard the question. Draco opened his mouth again, but before he said anything, a larger man stepped onto the path before us, seemingly appearing out of thin air. He was larger and looked like someone who could not be messed with, but he had the same beauty in his face as the other man. Their beauty suited the surroundings perfectly and I wondered how out of place Draco and I must have looked. Draco immediately returned to my side when he appeared, seemingly fearful of what this man might do. Although I was focused more immediately on this man who just appeared, I was briefly miffed at Draco's continuous concern over my safety. I can protect myself first of all, and second, this place is more peaceful than any on earth. I could feel it in every fiber of my being. Neither one of us would be in harm's way here.

"May I ask which of you performed the incantation that allowed you enter Avalon?" His voice equaled the beauty in his face.

"I did," I said stepping forward. "We would like the speak to the Lady of the Lake. It is of dire importance."

He looked into my eyes and scanned my face intently for what seemed like a long while before he gave a small nod and turned around with a gesture for us to follow.

"It has been many centuries since our Lady has had visitors from the mortal realm," he said over his shoulder as he led the way up the winding path. It was only wide enough for one, so I followed directly behind our guide and Draco walked close behind me.

The forest continued to glow with blue and purple tints on every living thing. As we moved further in, we first walked up a gradual hill and then we walked down a gradual slope, which seemed to be going even lower than we were before. I could hear tinkling laughter and beautiful songs from every direction. In the distance I thought I could occasionally see children running and playing or a man and woman walking on other paths that I could just barely see through the trees.

When we reached the stopping point, we were standing by a fountain in the center of a ring of trees. Even the water in the fountain seemed to be glowing.

"Please wait here. Our Lady will be here shortly," and he walked to the largest tree in the ring, and walked into an opening in the trunk. This was the first time I actually looked up and noticed how large the trees were. They were taller than any trees on earth and in the branches, before the leaves appeared, were what looked like dwelling places. They were not like tree houses she had built with her neighbors when she was a child, they were built into the trees, they lived within the branches and their homes looked like natural parts of the tree. There was a city within the branches of the trees.

I looked at Draco with an amazed grin on my face. "This place is amazing, isn't it?"

"It is," he said. "I've never felt so at peace in my life...well almost never," he continued, grabbing my hand and giving it a gently squeeze.

"You're right, this truly is the most peaceful place. It's a happy place too. Can you feel that in the air? But also troubled it seems," I replied.

"Yes I understand you completely."

Draco stopped there when we saw a woman in a pearly white and billowing dress. She walked bare foot over the soil, but appeared to be gliding more than anything. She couldn't have been any older than nineteen and was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen with skin as pale as the two men we had already met. She had wavy long brown hair that fell midway down her back with crystal clear blue eyes that pierced anyone she looked at with an all-knowing but peaceful stare.

"I am Awen, Lady of the Lake of Avalon. What brings you here and how did you find your way into our home?"

"I am Hermione Granger and this is Draco Malfoy, we are here because we are in dire need of your aid. We found our way here because Draco here learned that I am a distant ancestor to Lady Vivienne. I -"

Awen stopped me mid sentence. "I am aware of our relation. You made your way in through the spell our women used to use. What I am asking is _why_ you are here. You said you need aid, but in what form?"

I started over bluntly putting our purpose out there. "There is an impending war in the wizarding world being brought about by Voldemort, who is the most dangerous and darkest wizard of our time and possibly of any time in history. There is no known way of defeating him, he has done everything he can to bring himself to near immortality. Millions of people will die if we cannot destroy him and his followers. We learned what basic information we could about the Lady of the Lake and her powers and hoped that if we could find our way here, we would find aid."

Awen was shaking her head slowly by the end of my speech. "As the Lady of the Lake, I cannot become involved in human affairs as significant as war. And I would not in this case given my lack of knowledge about you or your enemies."

I was dumbfounded. No way did we come all this way, after so much research for nothing. I looked at Draco to see him narrowing his eyes at the woman.

"Something must be able to be done," he said to her. "This woman here is your ancestor, she has the ability and the blood in her veins to allow her to harness your power. Teach her your ways."

She gave Draco a long and intense stare. "Your ambitions in this endeavor are not so easily hidden Draco Malfoy. You ought to learn what being the Lady of the Lake requires before you volunteer your lover to take on such a task."

He seemed taken aback by her words before he looked angry that she had apparently seen through him so easily. He opened his mouth to respond, but I placed my hand on his arm to stop him, fearful of what he would say.

"I am interested in learning what harnessing your power requires. I am here of my own volition now. If you are in fact willing to pass on your powers, I am open to learning," I said.

"I have been living here for more than one thousand years now. I have been dreaming of moving on from this world for centuries. I am willing to teach, but once the process begins, there will be no turning back. Follow me to a more comfortable place to talk," she said and led us to a quiet sitting place beyond the ring of trees.

Even the seats were carved out of trees and appeared to fit right into the landscape.

"Avalon as you know, has been closed for more than a millennia. We have had no contact with the outside world and I'm sure you are curious about why this is."

Draco and I both nodded and she continued, "Avalon has always been a secluded place, so it did not help when other religions started coming into the country many, many years ago. They seemed a much more immediate answers to their problems. Our practices and rituals which were only open to certain people were scorned by those who claimed to admit all into their faith. Our ways were scorned and the people gradually lost faith in us. As they did, the strength of our influence diminished in the mortal realm. They came to us less often and we left Avalon almost never. I was made Lady of the Lake just as this was beginning. If I'd known that I would be stuck here, bound to my position I never would have taken on this responsibility. Also, there is a legend that after my great grandmother trapped Merlin in the glass tower he put a curse on Avalon and the people residing in it who followed Lady Vivienne. He cursed us to an existence that kept us trapped here. We are hidden from the mortal realm and they are hidden from us."

She then made a very skeptical look at both of us, clearly not buying into the legend. "I happen to know that Merlin was in a very weakened state when he was trapped. He couldn't have had the power to do such a thing. It is a story to make Merlin seem even more unsavory around here than he truly was. He was a brilliant man, my great grandmother however was the selfish and power hungry one. Besides, he loved Avalon and he would be deeply saddened to see it closed off from the mortal realm the way it is now. The logical and true reason we are now almost completely separated from the mortal realm is the shift in faith. I thought I would be stuck here until the end of the earth itself...and here you are. Hermione Granger, a woman of my own kind."

Here I became curious of how she did not have any daughters that allowed her to pass on her powers years ago. "Did you not have any daughters to teach?"

She shook her head sadly. "I had many daughters in my youth but I did not get the opportunity to train any of them. It is the way of the women to live the majority of their lives in the mortal realm, learning the magic they can from the mortals. Upon their eighteenth birthday, they come to Avalon and I judge which of them is most worthy and capable of carrying on the legacy here in Avalon. My daughters never got the chance to come here however. It was all but two years before my eldest would turn eighteen and we lost all communication with the outside world. We could not leave, and we still cannot. The problem was none outside of Avalon knew how to get in. This might seem impossible, but keep in mind that the number of people of our faith had been diminishing and our location had always been kept very secret."

"But we could not continue the rituals to allow me to bear any more children. If we continued them, we would be overrun with people here and inbreeding would begin to occur with how few people we actually have living here. Most of which are already from a few common lineages."

Draco then asked, "How is it you've been here for more than a thousand years but you look barely twenty?"

"As Lady of the Lake I do not age. I will remain how I was when I took on my role as current the current Lady of Avalon and not until I release my position will I age properly."

"Is this true of everyone living here?" I asked.

"No it is not. But even so the aging process here is very slow. Children do not grow up for nearly two hundred years. Yet another reason the women here bear very few children. Lifetimes are so long, there is not the space for so many people with long lives."

"What can you tell us about your power in particular?" Draco asked. His mind was in one place alone. How would this help him defeat Voldemort?

"I cannot tell you that Draco Malfoy. It is an art that can only be taught. And it can only be taught to Hermione Granger here." Then directing her words to me she said, "I cannot tell you more about what my powers can achieve at this point in time. If you are interested in learning, you must return alone. If you come here to do this, you come alone."

I felt a sense of determination and that same thrill of learning something new. It was heightened knowing I'd be learning something of immense power and of such rarity in the world. No one but me could harness the power this woman has now. I thought of everything millions of people around the world were fighting against. What I'd started fighting against all those years ago with Harry and Ron. I knew this was my chance to bring it all to an end. I did not yet fully understand the responsibility, but I would be in for a rude awakening I was sure.

"When do you want me to return?"

She smiled seeing my enthusiasm. "You must return here in three days time. We will prepare for the rituals. You will have a month to determine if this is something you are up to taking on. But after that time, once you begin taking part in the rituals yourself, you cannot turn back. Your training will carry on until the summer. "

Awen then stood up and gestured for us to follow her back into the ring of trees. She walked over to the fountain and told us to come stand beside it with her.

"Now I haven't even attempted this in many years. No one has tried leaving or entering Avalon in centuries because we believed the way was shut. But if you could get in, perhaps you can get out if I can harness enough energy to push you through."

I suddenly became very concerned about being stuck here. Every plan we were making would be thrown off, especially for Draco and he had this same fear because he looked at me with a slightly panicked look on his face.

Awen swirled her hand into the fountain and it turned a glowing pink. She then told us to lean over the fountain and when our faces met the water, we would be transferred back to our world. I thanked her for her time and assured her I would be back in three days to begin my training. Draco and I then leaned over the fountain which was much like looking into a pensive only instead of taking us back in time, we were going to our real world.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Draco stood in front of his large wardrobe preparing to dress for the meeting with the resistance fighters in France. He really hated to succumb to their level in asking for help, but the time was near for his final battle and glorious uprising that he needed all the support he could get. Nothing would get in his way now. He would have the support of resistance fighters in France, which would bring the French government to his side officially. It was well known all of the French elite supported his cause, but never did they in overt practice or in law, but now that would be set in motion. With France in his allegiance, that would be one more great power already within his grasp when he ascends to ultimate power. The thought of it made him smile a devious and cunning sort of smile; one that Hermione wouldn't trust if she saw. Turning away from his wardrobe with a black sweater in hand, he looked at Hermione's sleeping form in their bed. Pulling the sweater over his head, he walked over to the side of the bed she was sleeping on.

Hermione's certainty of harnessing the Lady of the Lake's power also excited him to no end. Nothing could stand in his way with her at his side; the only problem was that he wasn't too certain of her staying at his side. He did not miss that every statement he made about their future together was met with a vague response, if any at all. Although she said she did not like hiding things from him, he could not know what she was really thinking. The uncertainty didn't make him angry or paranoid, however, it simply made him nervous and uncertain. His feelings for her were stronger than he dared to admit even in his own thoughts and he feared her desertion at the end. It was only for the immense preparing he had to do in the short time before she left for her training that he did not waste his time despairing her potential abandonment.

He sat gingerly on the edge of the bed right next to her bent knees. She was sleeping on her side facing away from him. He reached out an arm and ran his fingers through her soft hair, thinking that it was the softest thing he'd ever felt. She would be gone in two days and he wouldn't get to see her for almost a full year; and when he did it would be all business, planning for the battle looming in their future. One that he almost wished was never going to happen so she could stay with him forever...But would she? His mind came back around to that constant uncertainty that she would probably leave him; that she wouldn't even be here if they weren't tied together in this agenda that he devised to destroy Voldemort.

She stretched out in her sleep and turned onto her back. Her leg hit his body and she woke up suddenly, surprised by the body beside her, and Draco withdrew his hand quickly from her hair. She gave him a brief smile when she saw who it was.

"You off already?" she said drowsily.

"Yes, it's only nine so feel free to sleep more. I'm sorry I woke you."

"It's okay, I'll fall back asleep easily no doubt. I need all I can get now since I have no idea how draining this training will be," she said squirming around in the bed a bit, as though trying to get more comfortable.

Draco didn't want to think about that at just this moment, so he smiled and stood up saying, "Well that's good. I have to get going though. I've lingered far too long already. Who knows what those people will do to me if I'm late."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head with a small laugh, "Oh please, they aren't savages. They are kind and fair. I'd expect you to be more harsh in retribution than them in reality."

"Well now that's just an unfair assessment. You've never seen my punishments, Hermione," he replied still smiling.

"Oh, but I've heard all about them, Draco," she retorted.

He didn't appreciate the allusions to his darker deeds as a leader, so the smile left his face. "It's up to me how I deal with disobedience. I'll tell you later how the meeting went."

"Alright, Draco," she said with a hint of petulance, but it left her tone as she continued, "Good luck with your meeting. I hope things go well." And with that she closed her eyes, prepared to fall into another deep sleep.

He was about to turn and go, still feeling slightly irritated by her remark, but he felt compelled to lean over and place a long kiss on her temple. She showed no sign of feeling it aside from a big smile appearing on her face, which he felt as her cheek lifted.

He stepped away from her and apparated then without a second thought.

He landed on the outskirts of a forest, where he was told he would be met by a man that would escort him into the village. The village that the resistors were living in was ensconced within a ring of woods; totally hidden from view from all except those permitted into the village by Longbottom and Thomas. Draco was an honorary guest who would be able to see the village on this trip but never again would he be able to find it; if he tried he would end up wandering through the forest aimlessly until the villagers or wildlife in the forest picked up on his presence and tried to do him in. He could see in the trees what he assumed outsiders could not. The villagers had created a sort of road way through the trees, where they could guard the borders without being seen. Branches were connected by rope or thin, yet sturdy planks of wood and there was a faint path on the ground, just barely perceptible to him.

Draco wanted to laugh at what these people had been driven to. They are on the fringes of society and have to scurry through trees like animals to protect themselves. On one level he did admire their ingenuity at creating a way to travel through the trees, but he felt more confident in his own cause and in his own power in looking at it. He had the power and the support to remain living freely and comfortably in his own house. He could walk out in public without being harassed. He was feared and respected by almost all which left him with almost nothing standing in his way. Only these resistors who were holding on to the old ways and the despicable Voldemort supporters.

Two men in dark green cloaks that Draco didn't recognize came out of the trees.

"Right on time," the dark haired man on the left with a gruff voice said. "We were thinking you might be late or completely blow off the appointment at this point."

"No sir, this is just as important to me as it is to you people."

"_'You people'_...listen to the way he addresses us; like we are inferior. Well come along, I'm Jackson and this is Parker," the other, fair hair and fair skinned man said with a gesture to his friend. Draco thought he rather looked a lot like himself except for the eye color, which was darker than his. "We will escort you into the village so no one will attack you, because God knows they all want to, but Dean and Neville are waiting for you in the old Mayor's building."

Draco smirked at his first comment, but didn't say anything. He wanted these people on his side so he would not push his luck. They led him through the woods in silence on the ground path. The entire time through Draco could have sworn he heard voices up in the trees but he could never see anyone. When they reached the village, Parker said, "This used to be a muggle village, but Voldemort wiped all of them out when he swept through southern France a few years ago. The only positive I have to say about your increased influence in this country is that more muggles have been left untouched."

"Yes, I have found it highly unnecessary to be killing muggles. They do not know of our existance and while we may rule them behind the scenes, they need not know it," Draco said.

Parker shook his head. "Well that is where we disagree, and why we do not support you. Muggles should be free just as we should be; no one's better than anyone else. "

Before Draco could respond, they reached the top of the stairs of a large building that actually seemed to be the centerpiece of the village. It was larger and taller than all the others and had grand pillars in the front. "Dean and Neville are waiting for you right inside," Jackson said curtly. He had no respect for _Mr. Malfoy_ and he would not pretend to.

"Thank you," Draco said and he pushed open the door and was met by his old schoolmates Longbottom and Thomas. The latter looked more or less the same from what Draco remembered, perhaps just a little more filled out in the shoulders. Longbottom, though, was not so easily recognized. If he passed him in the street he wouldn't have known who he was. The awkwardness seemed to have left him altogether. He was stronger, not nearly as feeble looking as he was back in the school years, and his face held a keener expression. He could see clearly Longbottom had toughened up over the years.

"Well Malfoy, you look just the same as you always did," Longbottom said coming forward to shake his hand.

This gesture was surprising, but accepted by Draco who replied, "I can't say the same for you Longbottom. Years on the run seem to have taken an effect."

"I've heard that many times now. No one ever seems to recognize me."

Thomas stepped forward and also offered his hand to Draco. "I hope your escorts weren't too hard on you. I daresay no one seemed keen on bringing you into the village."

"They were fine. Although I'm pretty sure Jackson was more than just a little angry to be near me."

"Yeah, well, if it was up to him we wouldn't be having this meeting right now. No one wants to help you, but we are trying to be pragmatic."

"Let's head into the office before we get down to business though," Longbottom cut in.

They walked up a set of old, spiral stairs and then across a spacious hallway into an office with three plush chairs sitting around an old wooden coffee table.

"Do you want some tea?" Thomas asked as they sat down, gesturing to the tray of tea and small biscuits and sandwiches in the center of the table.

"Sure. I've got it though," Draco said. And reached across the table and poured himself a cup. He did this himself because he wasn't sure he could trust them; who knows if they would slip something into his drink. Also, he didn't want them to feel like they were serving him. He was there to strike a deal, and to do that, he knew they would have to feel that they were on the same playing ground as him.

Longbottom was smirking when Draco looked up at them as though he knew Draco was concerned about being poisoned. He did not say anything about it though and began with, "Now as Dean said before, we are trying to be pragmatic here. We want Voldemort gone. He is a larger threat than we see you ever being, even if we find your morals to be rather corrupted. We agreed to your meeting because we too think that it is necessary for both of our camps to join in defeating our common enemy."

Draco was astounded. He wouldn't have to convince them of anything. He would have their forces in vanquishing Voldemort and this would open up France to him. Immediately he thought of the offices he could build throughout the country, working towards spreading his influence. It couldn't be so easy though, there had to be a catch.

"So we fight together in the final battle...but what does that entail both before and after that happens? I don't expect you would agree to meet unless there were stipulations."

"Well, we don't want you building any offices in this country at any time before or after the battle is over, assuming we conquer. We think that this is a fair trade and the only thing we can ask of you that you can actually follow through with. We would ask you to change your governing policies, to let the world be free again after Voldemort's fall, but we know you will not do that. You cannot build offices here though. You will have the open support of our government and that should be enough for your cause. In return, you will have not only our support but we will alert others throughout the world who are on our side to help fight if they can once the battle plans are worked out. You should know though that after the battle is over, things will go right back to the way they were before. We will not continue to support you," Thomas explained. His tone suggested that he expected Draco to be very angered by this.

Draco was in fact angry but didn't let it show. The offices are the only things he needed in France, a country that was a centerpiece for his control in Europe. Their offer was one he knew he could not refuse however. With the resistance fighters, his own army of followers, and Hermione, Voldemort would stand no chance. It would be a tough battle, but one that he felt would certainly go in his favor.

"Well, I have no choice but to accept. Your support in this fight is indispensable as you both know very well. Despite the disappointment about the offices I cannot build, I'm truly happy that we have agreed to fight together against Voldemort," Draco said.

Both Longbottom and Thomas smiled at this. "We are happy to finally vanquish him for good. We only hope it will be successful this time. The sadness at the end of the last battle still lingers amongst our group," Longbottom said as a shadow passed over his face at the thought of Potter's death. Draco then wondered if this sadness struck Hermione often.

"We do have another question though Malfoy," Thomas said hesitantly. "We understand you may not answer, but it is of great importance to us. We have heard you captured Hermione and, in all honesty, we desperately want to know what has happened to her. Your answer will not change our agreement," he finished alluding to her potential murder.

Draco mulled over what he would say to them for a few moments and drank some of his tea. He could feel the eyes of the two men boring into him, desperately waiting for his answer. He was shocked they had already heard of Hermione's capture, given how insulated they were from the outside world. He felt he should be honest with them but he also didn't want to give away too much. At this point in time he couldn't risk anything being found out about his plans with Hermione and her powers.

"I'm surprised you have heard about that all the way down here," he said at first.

"News like that travels quickly everywhere, Malfoy. She was important to our fight in England and in many ways a sign of hope. But if Hermione could be captured, then we know now that England is now completely out of control," Longbottom replied.

Malfoy nodded in understanding. "Well, I will be honest with you but I cannot be very candid with you. She is alive and very well in my home. You need not fear for her life because she is in good hands."

"That's some joke if you mean your hands, Malfoy," Longbottom said smiling, clearly relieved that she was still alive, and if he could believe it, safe and well.

"Fair point, Longbottom," Malfoy replied, also with a smile. "But truly, she is safe and she is free. She has been helping me in preparing for the battle and she will be an important asset in the fight, but that is all I can say. You must understand my position. I cannot risk anything being discovered at this point in time. I do not know who I can trust to keep quiet and I can't risk you being discovered and tortured for information if someone knows of our meeting today somehow. She is safe and I will tell her that you asked for her. I daresay before a year is up you will be seeing her again on the battlefield."

"Well this is great news indeed," Thomas said, also smiling. "I must also ask if you know if Ron made it safely back to England? I assume I risk nothing in asking this because you would want him as an ally now rather than find him to get him out of your way."

Draco nodded. "Yes, I even spoke with him a few days ago. He provided me with the information about Voldemort I know you are aware of too and we have agreed to work together."

"This is amazing," Longbottom said. "Who would've ever thought the group of us would be working together."

"Certainly not me," Draco agreed. He still didn't like it, but he had found that at least these two weren't the worst people he'd ever met. He hated what they stood for, and that if it weren't for Voldemort they would be doing everything they could to usurp him; but for now he would enjoy their allegiance, and even admit to Hermione that he rather thought they were nice enough people. "I do want to thank you for meeting with me today, and I am glad we have come to an agreement to work together."

Both men nodded. "We are too. It will be a great achievement to finally defeat Voldemort and I have a very good feeling about it this time," Longbottom replied as he stood up and Thomas followed suit.

Draco realized this was his cue that it was getting to the end of their meeting. "We don't mean to cut the meeting short, but we have a lot of work to do today," Thomas said as Draco joined them in standing. "We will expect to hear updates from you or to receive someone from your ranks in our village every so often to coordinate our plans and our ideas. We will do the same when it is warranted."

Draco nodded, pleased by the suggestion because he was going to suggest the same thing. "I will send a good friend of mine, Armand Toussaint here at least once a month with updates on our plans. He is a French native so he will know the area best and I think the people would be most accepting of his visits than Nott or Zabini's."

Both men nodded and Longbottom said, "You're right about that. Those two would not be liked down here and would probably be murdered."

Not offended in the least, Draco said, "That's as I expected."

"You will be able to apparate from here. We've cut of the charms to disallow it for the morning and they will be back up once you leave. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?" Thomas asked.

"No that is all. This has been a great visit and a very worthwhile meeting. I am very much looking forward to speaking to you again in the future," Draco said.

"We'll be talking to you soon," Longbottom replied and then Draco left and reappeared in his bedroom where Hermione was coming out of the bathroom having just finished a shower.

"You're back already?"

"Disappointed?" Draco asked with a smirk.

Hermione gave a short laugh. "Not at all. How was the meeting?" she asked as she dried her hair with a towel.

"It went really well actually. Before I got there they had already determined they would help me overthrow Voldemort."

"Really?" Hermione asked, looking at him with her brow furrowed. "They must see that the situation is very dire otherwise they would not have sunk so far as to helping you."

Draco laughed, recognizing that it is the same way he views working with them. "Is that what you are doing too, Hermione? Sinking lower than your worth to help me?" he asked sardonically.

Hermione smiled, knowing that behind his tone he was joking. "Yes in a way. However, it has become more than that in a way as you well know," she said walking over and giving him a short kiss. "I am happy to be here and I am happy to help you."

_Now you are,_ he thought. He was reminded of his musings before the meeting about her inevitable choice to leave him. Of course he was not certain, but he felt he knew her well at this point and could predict the decision she would make in the end.

"I'm going to get something to eat, would you like to join me?" Hermione said once she was dressed.

"No, I think I'm going to take a short nap. I'll meet you in the study in a couple hours though so we can talk about what will happen once you leave soon."

"Alright, see you then," she said and she gave him another kiss, a longer one this time. He noticed she held his face in her hands in a more delicate, yet desperate way than usual. Perhaps she is also sad at the thought of leaving here, he mused.

When she left, he disrobed and quickly got into bed, feeling more tired than he thought he was. Sleep came quickly, but just before he fell asleep, he realized that what he needed to do was prove to her that he was worthy of his love, yes _love_. He needed her to choose him, not by the result of his own manipulation, but by her own choice, because of her own feelings; that was the only way to get a woman like Hermione to stay around.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

I could barely believe that Neville and Dean had agreed to help him with so little in return. Not building offices? What kind of payment is that when without the offices he still has control over the country? Of course Draco found them of immense importance and it was a slight blow to him, but he had gained thousands more witches and wizards to help him fight against Voldemort in the upcoming months. Sure, I was happy for Draco, but I wished that Dean and Neville had demanded more. Still, the times were getting rough.

I mulled over this disappointment as Draco, Armand, Nott and Zabini all discussed the agreement with Neville and Dean as well as my departure tomorrow morning. Ron and Pansy had joined in our discussion at my bidding. I would not leave Ron out of things now, especially when this would be my last time seeing him for nearly a year. They all wondered over the kind of training I would undertake, and I could not find the motivation to join in the conversation. For one because I had no idea what the training would entail and no matter how hard I thought over it, or how much I talked about it, I would not be one step closer to knowing. I would see when I got there, and that absolutely daunting thought, that I was going into something with little or no preparation at all was another thing that kept me quiet. All my life I could read and learn about what I would later be asked to do. I was completely out of my element here and this was far more extreme than not knowing how to fly on a broom.

Draco had been most attentive in the past day and a half. I knew that he was going to miss me when I left, even if he didn't feel comfortable enough to say so. He was always on the verge of saying something but always checked himself and thought better of it. I assumed it was about missing me.

I would catch him looking at me more often, and he kissed me more and took every opportunity to touch me in some way. Under normal circumstances it would have been agitating, but I was feeling the same. I was going to miss him, I already felt a sense of loss knowing that I wouldn't be seeing him again after tonight for a very long time. I had grown so accustomed to his presence in my life and I found that I cared for him deeply, even loved him. And while I knew what I felt for him was love, was it unconditional? I found myself contemplating this as I thought that I could never stay with him if he became another dictator. Did I love him truly? I didn't like to think about it because while I felt sure that I did, I also found it unfair because I had to reject such a prominent part of him. I wasn't surprise to pick up on the fact that he was observing how little I was talking. He sat with me on the couch and kept lightly squeezing my hand or making swift concerned glances out of the corner of his eye when he thought the other three weren't looking at him. After nearly an hour, he finally stood up and said, "I think Hermione and I are going to turn in for the night. She's got quite a day ahead of her tomorrow."

Nott and Zabini were the first to leave, immediately standing up after Draco spoke to wish me luck and they quickly disappeared. Certainly not ones for sentimentality or touchy moments. Armand gave me a crushing hug, telling me to be careful and wished me luck as well before he left as well. Pansy bid me farewell in a similar fashion.

Ron looked at me with concern as he stood up to leave with Pansy. "You are certain this is what you want to do, Hermione?"

"What other choice do we have Weasley?" Draco said cutting in.

"I'm just making sure!" Ron retorted heatedly.

"Both of you stop it," I said. "This is what I want Ron. You don't need to worry. I will be back with you guys before you know it and Voldemort will be gone.  
"If you are sure. Please, be careful Hermione. Although you are the last one of us who needs to be told that."

I smiled, wishing that it wasn't just when I found him again that I had to leave. "I'm going to miss you, Ron. You be careful too." I hugged him tightly and then stepped away and gave him a smile.

"See you soon," he said and he and Pansy disappeared, leaving Draco and me all alone.

"You don't seem quite like yourself today, Hermione," Draco said with concern.

"Well, I hate to admit it, but I am actually a little nervous for tomorrow."

"You are?" he replied, shocked. "I've never seen you nervous about anything like this before."

"Well this isn't quite like anything I have experienced before. I don't know anything about his and it's not as though I can read to learn more to calm myself. I won't be this way tomorrow, but I think I deserve one moment of uncertainty," I responded honestly.

"Then I'll just have to do something else to calm your nerves then," he replied and led me up to his bedroom.

I certainly wasn't thinking about anything but Draco's body once he started touching me. He took his time, slowly kissing every inch of my neck and along my jaw before he captured my mouth in a heated kiss. His hands gripping my hair tightly, pulling my face as close as possible. I locked my hands around the back of his neck, never wanting to let go. I wanted to always feel his body flush against mine, to feel his heart beating wildly as we touched each other.

His hands traveled to the hem of my shirt and he pulled it over my head and instantly started playing with my breasts through my bra. I arched into his hands, loving the sensations and I then pulled him to the bed after a moment. I wanted to move slowly on one hand, to savor this last night together, but I was in such desperate need of him right this minute that I could not be slow about it. Besides, we had all night.

I pulled him on top of me and he pushed his hips against mine. He was very ready to go. I reach my hand down to rub him through his pants and he groaned and kissed me thoroughly. I stopped and pulled his shirt off and then he removed my bra and latched his mouth to my breasts, moving from one to the other, using his mouth on one, his hand on another. I was moving my hips against his frantically searching for friction.

"Draco, I want you so badly right now. Please, no more teasing. You can later all you want, but right now, I need you," I said with such desperation that he stopped and looked at me heatedly.

He quickly unclasped my pants and pulled them down, removing his own afterwards.

He moved back on top of me, but slid his fingers down to touch me first. He moved two of his fingers inside me.

"You weren't kidding, you are _very_ wet," he said huskily in my ear.

I moaned, enjoying the sensations his fingers were creating, "I know..."

I knew he had to be smirking, but my eyes were closed and I was hoping he would just start fucking me soon. I felt him shift over me and remove his fingers.

"Will you open your eyes, Hermione?" he asked softly. "I want to see your eyes this time."

My eyes flew open, meeting his and he swiftly entered. I had never seen such a passionate look in any man's eyes and he swooped down to kiss me roughly, making his trusts harder and deeper. I moaned, arching against him and he pulled his fact back to look at me again. Under his gaze I felt like I was on fire and I raised my hips to meet each thrust.

I felt myself on the brink and I pulled him closer against me so I could feel every inch of his body. I dug my nails into his back as I finished and he moved faster against me, groaning himself until he finally came, just moments after I did. We fell asleep, with him curled around my body, but we woke many times during the night to repeat the activities. It was the best worst night's sleep I'd ever had.

* * *

I stuck to my word the night before and I didn't allow myself to even consider being fearful as we approached the lake. Draco stood beside me as I bent down to say the same incantation as last time. As the water rippled, Draco turned me to look at him. He seemed to be on the verge of saying something, but hesitated. Instead he pulled me to him and kissed me with more feeling than he ever had before. When he pulled away I was breathless, and he looked down at me with deep affection.

"I will see you soon?"

"You will. It will be merely months until we are ready and planning the final stages," I said confidently.

Draco smiled. "There's my brave and confident Hermione. I cannot wait to see you after you have had your training."

"I'm sure I'll be very different when you next see me," I responded.

"You'll be amazing and we will conquer Voldemort together," he responded, eyes flashing with desire.

"You're right, we will," I said returning his impassioned sentiment. At least he said nothing now about ruling together after. I still could not handle those statements from him.

The boat arrived at the shore and the same man as last time manned it. "You must come alone now, Lady Hermione."

I nodded and then looked back at Draco. Immediately between us was the undeniable feeling of imminent loss. He seemed to be trying to keep himself together, to not look vulnerable. I tried to relieve him of a feeling that I knew was not his forte by taking his hand and squeezing it. "I know," I said and I knew from his expression that he understood. He pulled me into a crushing hug and I reveled in feeling him against me for the last time in many months. He stepped back and kissed me chastely before letting go of me.

I tried to smile as I looked at him. "Be careful, Draco."

He smirked in return. "I'm always careful. And I always come out on top."

"You cocky bastard."

His smirk deepened for a moment before it fell away and his brow was furrowed. "Good-bye Hermione."

"Good-bye Draco," I said and he disappeared.

I stepped into the boat and was soon stepping onto the shore of Avalon where Lady Awen was waiting.

"Welcome back, Hermione," Lady Awen greeted me with a smile. "Let me show you to your lodging and we will begin your training. I am most pleased to have you here with us."

And I followed her, returning the smile.

* * *

During the next eight months, Lady Awen led me through all of the realm that is Avalon. It seemed endless in its wooded expanse. I was given my own designated tree to live in and I was pleased by the beauty and comfort of the rooms. Silvery blue cushions and blankets were used on the dark wooden bed. I was surprised at first that it was only a place to sleep, and I learned quickly that all time not spent sleeping was spent outside of the trees. People could be found gliding through the forest or lounging amongst the lower tree branches and in the grassy areas at all times. The people moved slowly here. There was no rushing, seemed not even to be a concept of hurrying. All things happened when they seemed meant to happen, and everyone lived in peace with no strife.

Of course these were all observations from afar since I was kept rather separate from everyone during my training. Lady Awen warned me upon arrival that I may become lonely at first because I was not supposed to make connections with the people of Avalon until I had gone through the initiation ritual during midsummer and I would take her place.

Day after day, and night after night, I was with Lady Awen as she taught me the daunting might of her power as well as her responsibilities in Avalon. I learned of her ability to control all matter of the earth. I could make fire, simply by thinking about it. I could conjure a flood if I wanted. I could fly and become invisible simply with a mere thought. It was as if my body needed no direction, it new exactly what I wanted and delivered. Lady Awen told me that I could learn to read mortal minds if I so chose to if the portal was opened again in a more permanent way. I had such control of the magic in my veins that I could achieve anything that I imagined. The one power I did not have, that was to bring anything dead back to life.

Lady Awen taught me of how to use the power wisely. Our power can be channeled through another, but only temporarily and only when it is done freely. We were not to meddle in wars in the mortal realm. They used to do so, and it is permissible, but they noted thousands of years before that it was the downfall of many of the Avalon people and the perpetuation of violence. In centuries past, the residents of Avalon created a pact that the only circumstance they would enter a mortal war was if the peace of all people on earth was threatened. I gauged that killing Voldemort would fall under this category. Lady Awen supported my sentiment as I explained to her the history of Voldemort and the state of the wizarding world now. She was adamant about his reign coming to a swift and this time definite end, but each time I mentioned Draco's role she grew wary. She seemed uncertain of Draco and I had the feeling that she was doing much consideration about him when I was not around.

But how could I blame her? She had every right to be skeptical of the man who in all reality was planning to more or less take Voldemort's place at the top of the world order. Sure, he was not as cruel as Voldemort and never would be, but he was not going to bring peace to the world. I was growing ever uncertain of him myself. I felt far away from him in thought, and the more time I spent away from him, the more I thought of how I could not trust his motives. Deep down, my feelings were the same, but I knew that a time would come, and soon, when I would have to declare exactly where I would stand with regard to his power grabbing, to put it lightly. I at first felt unnerved at my growing distrust in him and I wondered if it was due to so much time apart or because I was changing from the training. I sensed a change in myself after a few months had passed that grew stronger each week. I was thinking more clearly and more critically than I ever had before, which was already quite a bit. I felt more awake every day and it took less and less food and drink every day to keep me satiated. I realized that everyone here ate merely for pleasure, not out of necessity. I was adapting to the pace here. Slow and serene.

I was learning the lands of the forest. Each evening, Lady Awen and I would walk through another part of the grounds and she would tell me the history of each part of the forest in Avalon. One night, Lady Awen and I were walking through the forest near the ritual grounds when I felt another set of eyes on me in the distance. I looked to my right and across the field, was a very handsome man who possessed the same, if not more, powerful serenity in his gaze and stance as all the people here did. Tall and broad with light brown hair, he walked shirtless, as many of the men here often did unless attending a particular ritual or event. Then white and silver or white and gold robes were donned that were similar to the women's. He watched me from the distance without any shame. In fact, his head was tilted as if in deep thought.

"Who is that?" I asked Lady Awen.

She followed my gaze. When he noticed Lady Awen's attention on him too, he look at her instead and they appeared locked in a staring contest for many moments. Eamon suddenly walked off quickly in the opposite direction that he came and I was once again curious about the ability of these people to read minds or communicate telepathically.

"He is Eamon. One of the only immortals here."

"I didn't know there were other immortals aside from you. How many others are there?"

"There are only two walking among us now. As far as we know. We believe there are two children, Gabriel and Faye who are immortal as well. We will not know until they reach adulthood though, which will not be for hundreds of years more. Una, is the only other person who is immortal. She is older by Eamon by five hundred years."

"When will I meet them?" I asked, intrigued by the existence of immortals.

"Not until the final ritual, a time that is fast approaching. Now focus and tell me why the elder tree is so powerful to us."

Soon the summertime started, although there are no real changes of season in Avalon, as all times of the year the atmosphere is of a perfect comfortable temperature. I did not recall ever feeling warm or cold since arriving. I sent word to Draco with one of Lady Awen's messengers that he would have to come in one month's time. She was very concerned about how the passage of someone else would go, but she was relieved her messenger returned. I hoped that Draco would sent a note back, but the messenger said he did not even contact Draco directly. He had left the not with a black haired man who called himself Blaise Zabini who was taking care of the house while Draco was out of town.

I carried on the next month feeling both excitement and concern for Draco's arrival. I wanted him to be part of the rituals with me, and Lady Awen gave consent, but only allowed him to come for the second night. We also needed to discuss the plans for attacking Voldemort which would likely take place no more than a month after I had taken my place as Lady of Avalon. I was absolutely itching with anticipation when the day before training day finally came about. It was on this day that I saw Eamon again as I headed back to my tree to sleep. He was watching me again, and I didn't know if I should be afraid of him or if I should not be concerned at all. He did not move closer and I knew it was because he did not want to break the rule not to speak with me. He was already cutting it close. Making himself an obvious presence to me was not what Lady Awen wanted either. Yet I couldn't help but feel a pull towards the man, a pull I couldn't put my finger on. I was intrigued, but it would have to wait until after the rituals, which was almost no time at all. In the next two days my training would be completed. With two nights of rituals, I would be Hermione, Lady of the Lake.

* * *

Author's note:

I am finally basically finished with the story. Only a couple more sections are left to write in the 3 remaining chapters. I've known how I wanted it to end from the start but I just haven't gotten around to writing the ending until now partially from being very busy with school and internships and such but also because I've been doing other creative writing. I hope to have the rest of the story up in the next couple of weeks though.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The celebration began with a speech by Lady Awen to all of the habitants of Avalon. There were at least two hundred people gathered. I had no idea such numbers were living here, it certainly never seemed like any more than twenty people shared this entire forest. Lady Awen was standing in the center of a large circle next to a fire.

"My lovely people," Lady Awen began in a voice that was clearer and more beautiful than music, "we gather today for the beginning of a special ritual, one that has not taken place for more than a thousand years. Tonight is the beginning of a new era in Avalon. My time is drawing to a close, and this woman, Hermione Granger, will take my place as Lady of the Lake at the end of these rituals."

The people of Avalon looked up at me with curious and excited eyes. It had been so long since any amount of excitement had occurred in the realm that while it was sad to be losing Lady Awen whom they loved dearly, they were excited about change.

"Hermione, if you will please join me up front here," Lady Awen said, holding her hand out to me.

I walked up, giving her my hand. She took it and held it palm up, saying so everyone could hear, "A drop of your blood over this fire and that is all we need to begin your process of becoming the new Lady of the Lake."

I gave a short nod and flattened my upturned hand, giving her the permission to cut open my hand.

She withdrew a dagger and sliced my palm open over the fire. I held my had over it until my blood fell in, at which point the flame turned blue, and remained a neon blue.

"A blue flame," Lady Awen said smiling. "A woman after my own heart. Not all flames burn the same color. My mother's was green, and the famed Morgan le Fay's was purple."

"What does each color mean?" I asked, wondering if this would have some sort of indication of what my time here would bring.

"We are still trying to figure that out," Lady Awen said. "Even here there are still many mysteries about our magic...but now we must feast!" she finished loudly, to the whole crowd and food suddenly appeared and the people sat in the grass peacefully, enjoying the food and conversation.

I still sat away from everyone, understanding that it was not until Lady Awen had left that more people would be open with me. I still had to make it through the rituals to be accepted by everyone, especially the second night. I had been warned by Lady Awen that only people the power in their blood could contribute their blood to the fire and see a change and more importantly, only someone with a real and strong enough connection to Avalon could pass the second night of rituals. If at any point the vibes were off, if something negative happened, or if there was a lack of response in the magic that I did in these next two days, I would not be able to become the new Lady of the Lake. It was a great start that the fire responded to my blood, but I knew that the more important aspects of the rituals came later.

When the feasting was over, Lady Awen stood at the center of the circle and everyone fell silent. There were large groups of people leaving as the Lady stood, and I wondered why they were all leaving at this time. She was left in a circle of twenty other people. "We now begin the next phase of the initiation. In this, we all must share with one another. We all become one together and we shall have no barriers with each other. I cannot partake in this part of the ritual, for it is I who is to be replaced, so I ask Hermione to come out to the center here with me and light the sacrificial fire."

I walked slowly to the center. "Is there an incantation that I must say as I do so?"

Lady Awen shook her head. "No, not over this fire. It will know who is lighting it and why. It has received your blood and all you must do is light it."

I nodded and held my hand out over the ring. With the flash of the word fire through my mind, the ring erupted into bright blue flames.

"Una and Eamon, you will lead the ceremony from here. Now remove your clothes, Hermione," Lady Awen said and then she disappeared.

I stood there shocked, barely breathing. She wanted me to take everything off in front of twenty people? I looked around the circle feeling uncertain of myself and everyone looked back at me expectantly. Very slowly I removed the robe and stood there naked doing nothing in the center of the ring for what seemed like an eternity.

But it was only after a few brief moments, then all twenty of the men and women surrounding me stood up and removed their clothing as well. Two of them, Una and Eamon walked towards me. Was this really about to happen?

I wanted to tell them to stop where they were and to keep their hands off of me. I was no prude, but this was not my idea of a good time. I was perfectly content to have one man with me in bed, especially when that was Draco, and I really wanted nothing to do with women. Other people's sexuality was of no concern to me, but I did not have any underlying desire to be with women or to be with many men at once. I had noticed that sex here was casual. Men and women, women and women, men and men. And I had seen most of them partake in members of the same and opposite sex. I never felt inclined to join in myself, but I was very much aware that it was going on. In all of the hard, at times gut-wrenching training I had gone through, this was the first act that made me truly uncomfortable. I thought of Draco and wondered what on earth he would think of this situation right now. He would either be very turned on at the orgy about to take place or very furious. Either way, it would be best never to tell him, if I even could in the first place.

Una spoke as they stood in front of me. "Eamon and I shall join your blood in the fire for this ritual. It is customary for us to engage physically as part of initiation. We are a brotherhood here, and once passing through the second day of rituals, we share one mind and soul. Tonight, we share physically. Eamon, male leader of the immortals, has been elected to fulfill this first stage of your initiation."

Relieved as I was at only having sex with Eamon, and not Una too, I made a sharp intake of breath as I looked up at Eamon, suddenly nervous. His eyes were boring into mine, looking as if he had been eagerly awaiting this moment for a long time. I could see in his look though that it was not meant to be some simple carnal act of sex. It was a ritual to break down the first layer of boundaries between two people, the physical, and tomorrow it would be the mental.

"Eamon will add his blood to the fire before you begin and I will add mine after, because I am not to take part, but I am to be present as the other leader of immortals. Upon completion, the rest of us shall engage in our own acts of physical sharing and you are free to join us or you may retire. Eamon, give me your hand," Una said gravely.

Eamon held his hand out, palm up, never taking his eyes off me. Una cut his hand and carried the blood stained knife over to the blue flame. Holding the knife over the fire, two drops of blood fell into the fire and it flickered purple.

"You may begin Eamon and Hermione," Una said and she stepped away from the fire and us.

Eamon moved slowly towards me, not wanting to scare me I presumed. I must have looked like a witch who suddenly discovered she was surrounded by a bunch of enemies, wandless, naked and completely vulnerable. I was on edge and completely rigid. I practically jumped out of my skin when his fingers brushed my face. He urged me to look at him and he gave me an almost invisible smile, trying to tell me to relax, that everything was going to be okay, before he bent his neck and began tracing his lips along my neck. He kept space between our bodies, not wanting to push me. His lips and his tongue trailed around my neck, starting at the base and moving closer and closer to my jaw. He had one hand on my hip and the other on the back of my neck, making small circles with his fingers. It was a relaxing sensation. He moved so slowly, seemingly wanting to take as much time with me as possible.

I could tell from the way he touched me that he did not do this to humiliate me. Humiliation was not the purpose of this ritual. The purpose was to share yourself completely with another member of the group and it was meant to be something coveted. We were doing this for connection, not as some base act to diminish the meaning of sex. This bond with him would be representative of the bond I would then have with everyone else. We were to be all one in every aspect, and they were initiating me to become one of them. Eamon did not touch me in a way that suggested that his purpose was to use me in front of these people, to debase me like in some hazing game, and then I could join their little group. No, he touched me carefully and softly, his every movement saying _relax with me, because all that I want is to connect with you, the group wants to connect with you_...and that is part of the reason why I found myself relaxing under his touch. The other reason was that his touch was so intoxicating. To my chagrin, he was rousing me, and fast.

Eamon must have sensed this change and he pulled back, so his face was level with mine. His blue eyes pierced me and I couldn't look away. His head tilted slightly and he appeared to be deep in thought about something I couldn't begin to fathom.

And then, he suddenly kissed me, full on the mouth and full of passion. He kept the distance between the rest of our bodies still and I heard numerous soft, but shocked gasps. Apparently, he was breaking some unspoken rule, but I hardly cared. I caved, breaking the no touching rule I had made for myself, and I gripped the hair at the back of his neck, pulling him closer, the distance between our bodies now gone.

His hand resting on my hip moved to my lower back, pulling me as close as possible. I could feel how ready he was and I moaned through our kiss, loud enough for only him to hear. This sound of mine seemed to rouse something in him and he groaned, pulling me to the grassy ground with him. I certainly did not mind this, as I was certainly about to lose my ability to remain standing on my wobbly legs sometime soon.

He laid over me so most of his weight was not on me, instead he was laying mostly to my right side, with one of his legs between mine. His mouth moved from my neck to my breasts, paying equal attention to each as his hands travelled all over my body. I was writhing and moaning, still only loud enough for him to hear as my nails dug into his shoulders and my fingers pulled at his hair. He dipped two of his fingers into my now very wet center and he looked up at me with eyes that were completely filled with desire for the first time all night.

He was unable to wait any longer and he positioned himself over me, but still did not enter. His body was over me in a way that allowed me to feel every inch of him and I was reveling in it. I held his face between my hands and he gave me small, lingering kisses, his hips gyrating slowly against mine.

He looked down at me after a few moments and said, "May I?" It was the softest whisper.

I nodded and he entered me swiftly causing me to bite down on his shoulder to keep from crying out loudly. He moaned deeply and bit my neck as his hands gripped my hair. He moved against me steadily and deeply, taking note of every sound and movement I made. With no question, he knew what I wanted and delivered. Not much time had passed when I felt myself near my peak, and he sensed it. He stopped abruptly and moved away from me, sitting down. I groaned at the loss of contact, but he pulled me up and guided me to sit in his lap. I once again could hear murmurs of "What is he doing?" as he maneuvered me over him. The position was intimate and I had my legs wrapped around his waist, and his were bent behind me, keeping my body close to his. His arms were around my back, pulling me even closer so my forehead was resting against his neck. He smelled delicious. We moved faster and faster together, both of us quickly reaching the edge. I assumed he was holding back, allowing me to reach mine first, and when he too sensed it coming, he kissed me hard on the mouth. And I came in the most powerful orgasm I'd ever experience. He let go of his control and gripped me harder, moving faster and I was moaning in his ear, still coming down from my own completion as I felt him suddenly tense at his own release.

We caught our breath for a few moments and then I moved away from him. I was delirious, I felt as if I could hardly stand properly. I looked anywhere in the circle but at him, and I saw Una just completing her addition of the blood to the fire.

"You have completed your part of the ritual, Hermione. Congratulations," Una said, smiling for the first time. "You may stay and join us if you choose or you may return to your lodging." And with that Una walked away, joining two other women who were nearby.

I looked around at the rest of the people who were gathered. All of them had split off into small groups to have their own sexual activities and I was astounded, but I did not necessarily feel compelled to leave. It was as if some spell had been cast over me and I wanted to stay and join in with everyone else. I felt in a delirious daze, from whatever spell, and from just having one of the most amazing sexual experiences of my life with Eamon. I didn't want it to end. I took a few steps to the others, but then turned around and began walking to my tree.

After only a few steps I was aware of Eamon walking at my side as if he had never moved away from me. Eamon walked me back to my lodging without a word spoken between us. I was in a delirium and couldn't have strung a sentence together if forced. It seemed natural for him to walk back to my tree, for me to lead him inside, and fall asleep together.

* * *

In the morning, I awoke with Eamon's arms around me. They tightened when he felt me stir.

"You sleep a long time still, Hermione," he said.

My eyes flew open even wider and I jerked with surprise at hearing his voice. "Uh...What?" I asked, turning around. What a strange comment.

"When you have been here for as long as I have, you need to sleep for only an hour or so to feel rejuvenated. It has been eight hours since you fell asleep," he replied with a smile. This was the first time I had seen him in the day time and he was even more beautiful. I could not understand how such stunning people could exist.

I could not fathom why he would remain in my bed if he wasn't sleeping. I assumed it was because he had been waiting for an opportunity to speak with me after the ritual when he was finally permitted to. Suddenly something clicked in my head. "So you knew that you were going to be the one in the ritual...that's why you were taking such an interest in me in the past few months? No one else made themselves visible to me beyond what was normal," I remarked ignoring his comment.

Eamon nodded. "Of course that was only part of it. You are an intriguing and beautiful woman, and so mortal! We were all intrigued, but I most of all perhaps because of my role in your initiation." His fingers moved slowly in circles on my hip bone.

Oh yes, he was rousing me again, but I was no longer under whatever spell I was under by that fire last night. I wanted him but I had control now.

"I am with another man, Eamon," I said softly.

"Yes...and Lady Awen has informed me of that," he said stopping his hand in its tracks, but he did not take his hands off me, not that I minded as much as I should have.

"And yet you think that it is right to talk me into having sex with you?" I retorted acidly.

Eamon smiled. "You are still so human in your manner of speak and in your ideas. It is refreshing, as none of us are very human after so long a life...but you may be right. All that I ask is that you be careful of him. I cannot say more, for Lady Awen will be furious with me."

"How do you even know about Draco?" I asked moving away, suddenly realizing that it was strange this man I knew very little of seemed to know a bit about me and was in some way connected to me.

"Well, I asked Lady Awen about you. Who you are, why you are here."

"And she told you?" I asked, surprised.

"Most I think. Of course, as you will see tonight, we are all bonded in such a way here that we know what another is thinking without even having to ask. Not in words per say, but you can feel what they feel, know what they do by extension. Never in detail. It is like a fleeting shadow of a thought," he explained. "But when you know how someone is feeling, and get an idea of what they are thinking of, you know what to ask a person when you have questions."

"And can you do that with me right now?" I asked.

"No, not yet. Perhaps that is part of the reason why I am so intrigued by you. You are so fresh from the mortal realm, all of us here are hundreds, even thousands of years old. We haven't seen such a young mortal human in so long. I could not help but be interested in you, to ask about you, watch you..."

That shot me out of the bed real fast. "You've been watching me? Secretly?"

He furrowed his brow. "You are not flattered? Most women would be flattered," he said, clearly not expecting to make such a gaffe in conversation.

"Flattered? I'm rather creeped out to be quite frank with you. I know nothing about you and you've been asking for all kinds of information about me," I retorted.

"You mean to say that you have never once asked about me?"

Hermione looked down and remembered the two times she had seen him before meeting him that she asked about him. She could not deny that even then she felt some kind of pull towards the man. "Once when I saw you before meeting you officially, I asked Lady Awen who you were. But that is not even remotely the same as you going about watching me all the time I was here and never once thinking it might be more appropriate to just introduce yourself!" I nearly shouted.

He quickly stood up as well, and took hold of my hands in his. I was again painfully aware that we were both standing very close without a single layer of clothing. I did not realize until just now that we had walked away from the fire with not one article of clothing between us.

"I am sorry that I have upset you. I did not mean it and I hope you can forgive me. I am very interested in knowing you."

"Knowing me?" These phrases that were so familiar, but used in a context she wasn't quite sure of were throwing her off.

"You know, intimately..." he said and trailed off. He seemed concerned that he wasn't going to get his point across the way he wanted to again.

"Look, I have told you that I am with another man. What we did last night was strictly for initiation purposes. If it was not for that mandatory part of the ritual, I would have never had sex with you. And on that note, you had plenty of _intimate_ moments with me last night, far more than most men get so I think that's quite enough," I ground out, my temper rising with every word. Who did this guy think he was?

He smiled down at me, finding this rant amusing. It did not seem possible to seriously upset the man, even if I might have insulted him. There was an air of peace and of perpetual ease that never left his manner. "I do not mean sexually. I wish to know your mind, who you are as a person. I do not want to have sex with you again until we know one another."

I found this sentiment rather touching, but not as much as he would have liked. "And what on earth makes you think we are going to ever have sex again? As far as I'm concerned we are not going to. Ever." I replied.

"Maybe you will change your mind someday? But I will leave you. Your lover will be here in a few hours and I suspect Lady Awen will want to speak with you about tonight." And with that he walked out of the tree stark naked, as if without a care in the world.

* * *

A short time later, I was walking through the forest with Lady Awen.

"Lady Awen, I must warn you that Draco will not stay if the rituals are what they were last night," I said and I felt my cheeks flush at the thought of last night. It was exhilarating and as much as Eamon had upset me at some points during our conversation, even just minimally, he exuded and aura of peace and comfort. Something I never could experience with Draco, as much as I cared for him. Peace and Draco were as far from each other as possible.

Awen smiled. "I knew as much the moment we met. But do not worry. Tonight you will have each other privately and that is all. I can see that there is a bond between you and having a bond with another that is important for tonight's ritual."

"Thank you Awen. I must tell you that is quite a relief."

"Do not worry, there will be no more ceremonies like that for you. As the new Lady, you only guide the ceremonies along, you do not take part in the physical actions. Tonight there is nothing physical, it is all mental. We will all join each other in thought and in spirit tonight, and there will never again be a moment that you can doubt your solitude in this world. These men and women will be closer to you than blood kin, something to be cherished and honored."

I bowed my head in understanding and in graciousness. "I already feel very close with the men and women here. It is like a close-knit family without all of the strife. Although I do assume that life here is not always perfect?"

Awen shook her head. "No, it is not. Particularly in the past centuries it has been worse because we have all been stuck here. We are people of peace by nature, but we are still people, which means we all have personalities and ideas that do not always mesh easily. But I will be happy to move on, as will the others."

"Where will you go after these ceremonies?" Hermione couldn't exactly imagine Avalon without Lady Awen.

"I intend to join the mortal realm for the rest of my days. I am aware that it is very different, perhaps so different that I shall not bear it, but that will be determined when the time comes."

"And everyone that I have met here, they will all leave?" I suddenly wondered if I would be left alone in this place.

"Not at all. Some people are bound here for eternity either by choice or by force. There are some who would never give up the immortal life here, especially now that the passage might be reopened. Eamon is one who will stay, and who is likely to stay forever. He will be your partner in tonight's ceremony as well, but don't worry," she said, seeing the uncomfortable look that must have been growing on my face, "there is nothing physical to make your Draco jealous or suspicious. It will be conversation, that is all. I do hope that you will not feel uncomfortable around him after last night."

"Oh, no, I really don't. It was unexpected, but he seems like a very kind man," I said, not untruthfully.

"He truly is, Hermione," she began. "He took an interest in you almost instantly upon your arrival, for reasons that are not mine to divulge, but I am fairly certain he will show you tonight. He will be an important part of the ritual for you tonight, and I hope you can be close with him as he will be connected to you more strongly than any other of the realm."

I nodded, not sure how to take such information. I was curious but also nervous about his reasons for taking an interest in me and I hoped that with the connection he would not think that he could take Draco's place. I did not want to share these thoughts with Awen so I asked instead, "What happened to the other immortals? If there are only two of them here, who are they leading?" I had been curious ever since Awen had told me there were so few and even more curious now that I had met Una and Eamon.

"Well, as head immortals, they are second under me. They are my closest advisors, even if in recent times there has been little advising necessary. The others were lost in the mortal realm when the way was closed, and since they relied on Avalon for immortality, they are likely dead now."

"That's awful. Do you think that more might come when the doors are opened again?"

"It is possible...I will hope to direct them to you if I find them back in the mortal realm."

"I will miss you when you leave, Lady Awen," I said.

"I shall always be here in spirit, Hermione. Once a Lady of the Lake, your shadow leaves a mark here... but may I suggest something to you Hermione?" Awen asked hesitantly.

I had never heard Awen hesitate to say anything, or to make a suggestion. She was wise and when she felt that suggestion was needed, she never hesitated.

"Of course, Lady Awen," I replied, hoping that what she said next would have nothing to do with Draco, but I had the feeling it would.

"I do not wish to interfere with your life in the mortal realm or the choices that you make, but I must warn you to be careful of Draco Malfoy."

I stopped walking and asked point blank, "What do I need to be careful of?"

Lady Awen smiled sadly. "I know that in your heart you have concerns of his motives. You do not trust that he will rule fairly and in fact cannot even understand why he finds it necessary to have dominion over all people. And I'm only saying to be wary of him, because your concerns are valid. A great man he is, but terrible he is likely to become. He treats your friends equally now, but he will not forever because it is not in his nature."

"And he cannot change? He is young. Have I not shaken his ideals at all?" I asked not wanting to believe that Draco would choose a path of darkness, even when I knew all along that his motives had never really changed.

"Hermione, you have touched him deeply, deeper than I think he ever thought was possible. He covets you, but he also covets power and control. Any change that he makes will come of his experience in power. You know that he will not relinquish his dream for anyone, not at this point in time. But there is much conflict in that man, and I cannot be certain what time will deliver with him."

I nodded and looked at the ground for a time, saddened by what Awen said. I knew it was true. I had only allowed it to cross through my mind fleetingly before, but now I knew the time was coming when I would have to face the fact that what he wanted would never coincide with what I could tolerate. A dictator who would violate the rights of innocent humans, that is what he would become in all likelihood and I could never remain with him through all of that. I felt crushed because I had allowed herself to love him more deeply than any other, and soon I would have to make the final assessment of him and of their relationship.

"I must leave you now, and I believe that your Draco is on his way. You should meet him at the shore and then you must come to the circle for the ceremonies to begin. Make sure you change him into the robes of our people first," Lady Awen said and despite our conversation, at hearing that Draco's arrival was approaching sooner than I thought, I felt a surge of happiness and nearly ran to the shore.

* * *

When Draco arrived, I was waiting for him. When his boat was close enough for him to recognize that it was me waiting, he broke into a smile. Immediately everything in this world melted away, and all I saw and thought of was him. Here he was, the man I had missed and yearned for many months. I almost ran out to the boat to greet him, I could walk over the water if I chose, but I did not want to jar him. So I let the suspense build and when the boat docked, he practically flew out of it and pulled me to him swiftly.

"Oh Hermione, Hermione...too long...it's been too long," he said against my ear. His fingers were gripping my hair and he pulled me as close as possible before he kissed me without letting me get a word in edgewise. I nearly fell against him, completely overwhelmed at finally feeling his touch again and kissed him hungrily in return.

He pulled back after a long time and looked at me closely. "You look so different, Hermione. If I did not know you better, I would not recognize you."

This surprised me. "I look different? How could I look different? I mean, I feel a little different inside, but I can't imagine how my appearance has changed."

"You look like you could only belong here in this world, you look so beautiful I cannot even explain. Look at yourself in the water," he said taking my hand and leading me to the shore.

I leaned over so my full face was showing in the gently rippling water. Even with the small current I could see clearly that my face had transformed. I looked more serene, more regal. I hardly recognized myself.

"You don't have some sort of mirror here?" Draco asked.

"No, I don't. I really haven't seen myself since coming here. I never even thought of it," I replied looking back at him. When I looked at him I couldn't help but smile for what must have seemed like no apparent reason. I was just too happy at seeing him again.

He had an uncontrollable smile on his face too. "I want you to tell me everything you've been doing here," he said.

"I will tell you everything I can, but come," I said holding my hand out to his. " We must get ready for the ritual starting very soon, but we will have all the time in the world to talk tonight. Time passes much more slowly here and the nights are twice as long as the days."

He simply smiled and took my hand. When I thought he was just going to leave it at that, he said "We better have time for things other than talking."

I looked at him and he was of course smirking. It was relieving to see that he had not changed.

I gave him a onceover and at the thought of his body underneath those dense robes, I felt a yearning start to grow. He may not look like the Avalon men, but his sex appeal was still undeniable in the way he looked, carried himself, and spoke. It was not even fair to compare him to the men here, because the men here were barely human, there perfection increased with age. Draco was all human, and one I was certain would put all these men to shame if he had the chance to live even two hundred years. Oh yes, I would make sure we would have plenty of time for what he had in mind.

"More time than you'll even know what to do with," I said, smirking myself. I led him to my tree where he could change into the robes men wore to formal rituals here and quickly made our way to the ritual circle.

* * *

Lady Awen was already there and she was sitting at a table front and center before the fire. Tonight there were long tables arranged around the fire with one bench running along each side. Most of the tables were already full, with just a few more stragglers coming in at the time Draco and I arrived. Lady Awen sat with Eamon and Una both on her left side, and when she saw us she stood up and gestured to the two seats beside her.

"It is nice to see you again, Draco Malfoy," she said as we arrived in front of the table.

"And you as well, Lady Awen," Draco replied with a slight dip in his head. He was not one to treat anyone as a superior, but Lady Awen was looking stunning tonight, her last night as Lade of the Lake and she look the part of a powerful queen.

"May I introduce to you Eamon and Una, my closest advisors and leaders of the immortals," Lady Awen continued.

"It is a pleasure," Draco said looking at both Eamon and Una in turn.

I was not expecting them to speak in return. I was learning that they never speak unless absolutely necessary when surrounded by the people in an event like this. I was pleased to see them give Draco acknowledgement thought. Eamon gave Draco a friendly smile and Una only acknowledged him with a barely imperceptible nod. I was happy to see that there was nothing in Eamon's face to suggest anything had happened between us last night. It appeared to be the farthest thing from his mind and I was pleased that he made no comments to Draco or to me, but instead greeted Draco politely as if he had never heard a thing about him.

We sat down and I took Draco's hand in my own. "We should be starting soon," I said to him in a soft voice. "I must say that I have no idea what to expect though."

Draco smiled at me and nodded, but he didn't say anything. Instead he went right back to observing everything around him. He was intently watching the people in apparent awe. He knew that he was good looking, but he had never seen people who looked like this. He took in the appearance of their physique and dress, then I noticed he was looking at the environment. The lush grass and the beautiful green forest was as breathtaking as the people, if not more so.

Lady Awen then stood. "Tonight we begin the second ritual to bring Hermione fully within our circle. Tonight she bonds with her initiator and with us in spirit and mind. She will be bonded to our world as strongly as she has been tied to the mortal realm. I ask that Eamon and Hermione stand before the fire with me," she spoke out of the crowd that immediately fell silent as she stood.

We followed her to the fire and she took out the same dagger from the night before and cut both of our hands. Mine first, turning the fire blue, then Eamon's which caused the fire to flicker purple and then return to blue.

"Now grasp hands over the fire, and you will connect your minds completely," Lady Awen said. "You know what to do Eamon when I finish the incantation."

Eamon and I stood across from each other, our hands clasped over the fire. Lady Awen said the incantation and immediately I was seeing Eamon's thoughts in my head. He was showing me glimpses of his life, beginning with his childhood. A memory of him playing with his siblings and father flashed through my mind, followed by one with his father presenting him with a sword when he is a few years older. Then comes a terrifying scene, an entire village appears to be on fire and little Eamon is desperately searching for his family and comes across his siblings and mother, already dead. He finds his father last, on the brink of death, who tells him to run. With the sword his father gave him grasped tightly, he heeds his father's words and flees the village. I can feel the anger, terror and sadness in this memory, so much so that I am almost brought to tears as I continue looking into those open blue eyes.

Many years have passed before the next vision and Eamon appears to be around eighteen. He is being visited by a woman dressed as Lady Awen is. She is telling him that he has a place in Avalon, a place where he can avenge his father's death. "I call upon you to fight with me when I release my wrath upon Merlin. He is the one responsible for your family's death." It must be Morgan le Fay. "Why me?" he asks, "there were others my age who escaped the village." "They do not have the powers that you possess Eamon, son of Torrin. You have the immortal blood in you." He agrees to go. He relays scenes of his first few months of pure happiness in Avalon, training and learning the way of life before he is sent on small missions in the mortal realm again.

A few more years seem to have passed, and Eamon looks exactly as he does today, barely a day over twenty. He is in the mortal realm and talking with a beautiful mortal human. I can tell that this is their first meeting. The woman with long blond hair gives him a shy smile as they walk and talk along a river bank. He is smiling warmly, never taking his eyes from her. I do not hear the conversation, something I know he is intentionally keeping from me, but I can feel his happiness, a happiness that is only known by someone who has felt love. I see more scenes of them, the first kiss, the marriage, many seemingly random memories of them together happily, but I know these must be memories of significance for him.

The next scene pulls me into a state of sadness so great that I do feel the silent tears pour down my face. The gut wrenching feeling was painful, but I kept my eyes focus on his as he relayed for me the saddest moment of his life. He is again searching madly in an even smaller village that has been torn apart for someone. He is bending down, checking every single body he sees, as many of them appear to be unrecognizable. He reaches the center of the village and he stops dead, staring at a body, face down, with a mass of blond hair streaming from it. He scrambles over to her and picks her up, turning her over. He already knows that it is her and he is cursing the world. He calms and sits in the field of dead bodies hunched over her head resting in his lap.

In the next few snippets of his thoughts, he relays to me the circumstances that brought about her death. Merlin, who was in fact the man who ordered the destruction of his village as a child for making an oath to Morgan le Fay, was now in a full out war with Morgan. Eamon knew that his lover was associated with supporters of Merlin, but kept it secret until he was told of an ambush planned by Morgan le Fay to eradicate as many close supporters of Merlin as possible. His lover was on the list. Before he could reach her in time to warn her, she was dead.

In the next few memories he shows me how he learns that the entire feud between Merlin and Morgan le Fay was completely Morgan's fault. She had grown greedy and power hungry and she would not rest until she had take Merlin's power. He was determined to never interfere with human affairs ever again on behalf of the realm of Avalon. In the next few memories he is never with people, he is alone, struggling through his thoughts in Avalon. He wants to lose himself to the world and he never ventured to the mortal realm again. It seems that much time passes in his next memory, and indeed it has since he is talking with Lady Awen and he looks more perfect, almost as perfect as he does now, since beauty here grows with time. They are talking of an agenda based solely on peace, to no longer interfere in mortal affairs and to not bring mortals into the affairs of Avalon. The realm would be a place that delivered healing and wisdom to the world, never terror or war unless the balance of the mortal realm was to be severely upset by a dark power beyond the control of mortals, especially muggles. She was the first Lady of the Lake to see eye to eye with him in this.

He flashes forward to present time. He relays to me some of the instances he sees me in the forest. Walking either alone or with Lady Awen. I am once again astounded by the change in my appearance, now seen more clearly than it had been in the water. Draco was right, it was as if everything attractive in my body had been heightened, perfected. I could feel his yearning to know more about me. He showed an image of me brushing out my hair one evening after I had bathed and when I put the brush down, I am staring at the ring Draco gave me that still rests on my finger. He is curious about the ring, where it came from, and why I contemplate over it.

Flash forward to last night. I see everything from his perspective. I felt the way he reveled in every touch, and I was reminded of how I felt with him. I wished he wouldn't have brought this memory to mind, especially with Draco right here. But he carried through with last night and to his memory of watching me sleeping in between his own small cat naps. I was a little touched when he brushed my cheek or played with the ends of my hair. It wasn't pure desire he looked at me with. There was more behind that and I was starting to understand why, and when his memories ceased, I immediately realized why he has taken such an interest in me. It was not because of some strictly sexual interest or because even simply because it had been so long since he had seen a mortal. Of course, it had been more than a thousand years since he saw a mortal, and I could tell that he was far more interested in mortal women than the women of this realm. But no, he was drawn because I reminded him of his lover. Not in looks, and likely not in personality either, but I had the mannerisms and ideas of mortals, and he was intrigued. Finally, after more than a thousand years he was being drawn into the activities of mortals whether he liked it or not, and he was curious. And although he knew that I was more powerful than him by far, I knew that he wanted to protect me in some way, because he had not been able to protect his lover.

I was curious about so many things from his life that I didn't want to show him my memories yet, I just wanted to learn more about his own. But I had to carry on with my end and I started with memories from childhood with my parents and at my muggle school. Then the day that I go the letter from Hogwarts, one of the greatest days of my life. Flash forward to when I meet Harry and Ron, of course not the greatest first impression on anyone's part. Then I show him the night Harry and Ron saved me from the troll, and subsequent memories of our growing friendship. I showed him the greatest accomplishments and upsets of every year, the adventures with Harry and Ron, confrontations with Draco, whom Eamon had to have recognized as the man with me today. I gave Eamon the idea that I had an interest in Ron all during our time at Hogwarts, only to culminate in our 7th year, near the bitter end. And as I grew in my memories, the trials grew tougher, people close to me were dying, and I found fewer and fewer significant happy memories to show, up until that last battle between Harry and Voldemort when Harry died. I lingered only momentarily on the scene, knowing that I would be overwhelmed with the loss, a loss that I still had not overcome.

Then my time living as a refuge and living with Ron. I showed my life after Ron had left and then the pivotal night when Draco captured me. I showed him everything, the good parts and the bad parts of my ever evolving relationship with Draco, but like him I kept the conversations to myself. He could see what happened and feel what I felt during the time, but he could not hear what was being said. I showed him my memories up until moment I stepped on the shores of Avalon to begin my training. I did not care to show him my perspective of last night. After adamantly refusing him again this morning, I do not care for him to know that I enjoyed last night far more than I should have. And that I like falling asleep with him, even when I knew I never should have allowed it. I did not need those complications.

When I stopped playing the memories for him, our eyes completely refocused on each other in the present. We shared small smiles and he squeezed my hands, still clasped across the fire.

"You have suffered much, Hermione, and it greatly saddens me. But I am encouraged by your still tough and even optimistic demeanor," Eamon said gravely. It took me a moment to realize he was saying this inside my head.

"As have you, Eamon. I hope we can talk more about this soon," I replied. I was confused that he could actually communicate with me inside my head. I was under the impression from what he had said earlier that we could not do that with each other.

"How is it that we can talk this way? I thought you said reading each other's thoughts was never this clear?" I asked.

"It is something only we will be able to do together. It is a power shared between the initiator and the initiatee of the rituals when a new member comes in. We can communicate like this, but only when we are touching and only when we want to. You can keep all your thoughts from me just as easily as you can decide to share them. I cannot sneak into your mind, do not worry about that," he said.

Before I could respond he continued, "But we must carry on with the ritual. There will be all the time in the world for us to talk later," and with that he looked over to Lady Awen, signaling that they had completed the first phase of the ritual.

Lady Awen walked over to the fire and said, "Draco Malfoy, I ask that you join Hermione and Eamon up here with me."

Draco walked slowly to join us, definitely not sure what to expect. He stood next to me, looking up at Lady Awen waiting for direction.

"Please take Hermione's hand, Draco," she said and he did. I now had Eamon's hand in my right and Draco's in my left.

"Hermione, these two men will be your strongest bonds to the mortal realm and to Avalon. You are tied to each through another, both are of equal strength and both of equal importance. This newfound tie with the mortal realm will hopefully allow you to open up the portal to all of us again someday. With Eamon you will have a trusted advisor, and one who will always tell you what is best for Avalon. You must listen and judge the needs of both worlds, for they are intertwined, even if they have been invisible to each other for so many years. Draco, I must add your blood to the fire," she said and held out the dagger.

Holding up the hand that was not holding mine, he allowed Lady Awen to draw his blood. She let his blood drip into the fire and the fire blazed a serpentine green, a shade that seemed to take everyone aback. The circle got darker for a few moments before my blue returned and in the light Lady Awen pierced him with a stare through narrowed eyes, deep in thought. She seemed uncertain of how to read this color in particular. I'm sure there were theories about the meaning of the typical colors that appeared in the fire, the bright blues, greens and purples. It wasn't bad necessarily, or else he would have been cast out immediately, but it was not normal, and it made everyone wary of him. I tightened my hand over his, letting him know that he had my support if anything stemmed of this right now.

But Lady Awen looked away, to me and she smiled briefly. "You have almost completed your passage into our realm permanently Hermione. I ask that you and Eamon now join hands with the others and the last part of the ritual can begin. Draco, you may stay here in the center with me for the moment."

I could tell Draco seemed a little wary of remaining with Lady Awen after what just happened with his blood and the flame. He didn't know he could trust her, that as a lady of peace she would not harm him, especially not in this setting. I gave him a small smile, trying to tell him that he had nothing to worry about. It had been a very long time since I had seen Draco looking vulnerable, but he certainly was. Lady Awen could destroy him easily if she felt the need to, and he must have understood that.

I walked away from them, following Eamon to join hands with the others in the crowd. I sat in the grass between Eamon and Una, and Lady Awen began the incantations.

I felt my eyes close almost of their own accord and I was suddenly in synch with everyone in the realm. At this point I could not distinguish particular thoughts of individuals, but I could feel the magic of the group coursing through me as powerfully and as rhythmically as a heartbeat. We were all completely joined in mind and spirit, all one. I don't know how long we sat in the grass, it could have been a minute or an hour. I could not gauge time and when we all came around to the present at the same moment, I felt as if I was awakening from an exhilarating, yet enriching and rejuvenating out of body experience. I felt more connection with Avalon, and I felt myself stare around the place in awe, as if I had never seen it before. The beauty was enhanced, the sounds of the forest, and I could feel in the air the happiness and peacefulness of the people around me, who were experiencing the same feelings as I was after such a connection of minds.

My attention was redirected to Lady Awen as she began to speak again, "Hermione, when the sun rises tomorrow, you will be the Lady of Avalon, and I will no longer be here. It is not customary for the old Lady to linger here, and I shall not. I call Eamon and Una to my council right now, to join me as I prepare to leave. To my other people, I shall miss you dearly, but I hope to see you in the mortal realm in the near future. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night in celebration and in feasting." And with that food appeared on the tables and the people made their way to begin the feasting.

Before I could even try reaching Lady Awen, she had disappeared into the forest. I wanted to talk to her one last time before she left, but she really meant it when she said she wasn't lingering. Una and Eamon stood and crossed the forest to leave the same way Lady Awen had. They were in no hurry though, apparently already aware of where she would be. Eamon smiled sadly as he walked away. He knew that I had wished to speak with Lady Awen, but I would never have the chance to. I wanted to go with him to talk with her. But there was a part of me that longed to leave with Eamon for a reason beyond knowing that he would be with Lady Awen. I wanted to leave to spend time with him, not out of sexual desire, but out of curiosity and because I felt united with him. I wanted to go spend the next week with him if I had to, so long as we were able to speak of all the things we shared with each other tonight. But I would have more than enough time after tonight to do that. Tonight was the only night I had with Draco and every second must be savored.

I reached him where he still stood in the center of the circle. "Come, let's go back to my tree to talk," I said, holding out my hand.

He took it and said, "You do not want to eat and celebrate with the others?"

I shook my head. "They will understand. I will a lot of time to get to know all of them. I want to be with you tonight."

His hand tightened on mine and he smiled broadly, with a hint of a cocky smirk in there. "Good. I've been waiting a very long time."

"Me too, Draco," I said. And we walked back to my tree in the growing dark.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

We reached my tree and Draco immediately took me into his arms, kissing me soundly. I pulled him back to my bed, falling backwards with him on top of me. We were both impatient and rough, removing the single layer of robes swiftly.

"I can't be slow or gentle right now, Hermione...it's been so longs since I've touched you," Draco mumbled against my skin. He was kissing and biting up and down my neck.

I nodded emphatically but did not respond beyond that, succumbing to the burning ecstasy that just being touched by him led me to experience.

I felt myself shaking with desire beneath him, as he ran his hands from my breasts over my waist and hips, which he gripped tightly. I'd missed his touch more than I realized. His mouth never left my skin and I was running my hands through his hair and over his back, loving the feel of his broad shoulders beneath my hands. He kissed and licked his way down my body, until he reached the top of my thighs, at which point he threw my legs over his shoulders and started using his tongue against me, causing me to whimper beneath him.

"Draco...I can't wait any longer..." I gasped, pulling on his hair, urging him to move away.

He swiftly situated himself over me, as though he too could not wait any longer and he entered in one swift movement and he did not relent. He had his lips and teeth attached to my neck and my nails ran down his back, pulling him closer. I wrapped my legs around him urging him to move even faster and deeper. I arched against him, crying out as I finished and I could sense him reaching his peak barely moments later, moving ever faster against me, hitting a spot that was driving me out of my mind.

Coming down, as we both caught our breath, he removed himself and laid down beside me.

I thought again as I looked at him how stunning he would be after spending even a small amount of time here. I wished desperately that there was some way it was possible, some way to keep him here with me always and never allow him to leave to do the terrible things I knew he planned to do.

"What are you thinking of, Hermione?" Draco asked, interrupting my thoughts. His hand was running through my hair and his face held a peaceful smile.

"Just admiring your good looks," I replied.

His smile turned into a deep smirk. "You know, I am well aware of how attractive I am and that my charm is, well, quite undeniable to women," at this point I was looking at him dubiously with an arched brow. "But I'm not going to lie, the men here...well if you thought I paled in comparison I almost couldn't blame you."

"Impossible, Draco," I replied. "Especially not after what you just did."

He smirked again. "That was quite good, wasn't it? Care for another go?" he asked waggling his eyebrows.

I laughed and said, "You bet, but first you must tell me about all of the planning you've been doing." I turned onto my side to face him and he copied me.

"Well, what would you like to know? Everything, I'm assuming," he said with a smile.

"Of course!"

"Well, I have been working with a small group to bring the final battle preparations completely under way. A month from now, we will ambush Voldemort. I've been putting the plan together with our usual group, allowing Weasley, Pansy, Longbottom and Thomas in on everything as well," he said with some minor annoyance at the last bit.

"As you should, Draco. You can't do this without them. Not to remind you that you wouldn't even know where Voldemort was without Ron."

He waved his hand in dismissal. "Yes, yes, you're right. Soon I won't have to deal with them so it's no matter...but anyways, we haven't completely finalized everything. We've been working with our bases to figure out how to best put our forces to use. Much of the planning relies on what you are capable of."

"I am capable of anything I am determined to do. But there are laws here I am bound to when it comes to using my power in the mortal realm. I will need the next few weeks to determine how best to use it within those means," I explained to him.

"But you will be able to join us in one month for certain?" he asked.

I nodded. "Of, course. There is no question of that...but it is still dangerous for us to travel through multiple times or on a regular basis right now. I can do it once when the time comes. I will join you on the eve of battle, and I will tell you what I can do. But you must have a solid plan for the others, because I cannot give enough power to destroy his forces. It is the way here not to interfere beyond what is necessary. The only reason my participation with my power is justified is because of how crucial this war is to the future of all of humanity, but still mortals must fight their own battles."

Draco was now transfixed and I knew he wanted me to explain everything about these mysterious powers and laws. For the moment, tactics had left his mind. He wanted to know what kind of reward he was receiving from putting me through this training, not that it wasn't my choice. "How much power can you give though? What are you capable of?" His eyes were hungry.

"Well...I can do anything I want aside from restoring life. I can do it without a wand even, without particular spells. All I have to do is think about it, and it happens. I can breathe under water, I could fly if I wanted to, I can create fire from nothing," and I held out my hand, thinking of a small, blue ball of flame, and there it was, resting just above my skin.

And as I described my powers to him, I knew that he was happy for me, and excited with me for similar reasons that I was, at new discoveries in magic, but there was an unmistakable hunger in his eyes. He was thinking of how great an asset it would be to have me on his side, I could practically see the gears turning inside his brain as he looked at me. Scheeming, scheeming, scheeming, that's what his thoughts always came back to. How could he get even further ahead? How could he harness even more power?

I couldn't help but feel that I wasn't just a woman he cared about. I was a very valuable and very powerful weapon too. As much as he cares, that fact can never be removed from the picture. His interests are not pure, and I would always be wondering which pull was stronger for him. Was it my personality that would keep him around in the long term, or was it my power?

Still not wishing to bring this into further question yet, I brought the conversation back around to him. "Have your people been supportive of your plans?"

At this he rolled his eyes. "For the most part yes, but there have been these groups that are impossible to work with. One group that doesn't believe I have found Voldemort, or more importantly that Weasley has. Everyone knows it was actually him, and the only reason they are all just barely accepting him is because he's pureblood. But there is one group that thinks he's lying, trying to trap us."

I scoffed at this before he continued, "And then there is the small group, granted they have minimal influence, but they are wary of another war, and on an even larger scale now, they are trying to convince me that Voldemort is no longer a threat," he said with exasperation.

"You're joking right?" I said, astounded at the stupidity of some of his followers.

"Not at all. I am lucky that these two groups combined make up less than a quarter of my followers," Draco said.

"How could they be so shortsighted?" I exclaimed. "To say Voldemort is no longer a threat, or to have such little faith in your leadership skills - these people need to be questioned on their sanity!"

He laughed at my outburst and then suddenly became serious. "Hermione, I've...well, I've missed you...a lot. Not just for the reasons you'd expect...you know for sex and such, but you really mean so much to me. Talking about this has really made me remember how much I've missed your input as we've been working. You always tell me exactly what you are thinking and no one is as quick as you, not even Theo. Your ideas are better and I can always count on you to keep up with what I have in mind, even if we don't immediately agree...but mostly, I...I just miss talking to you. I have my followers demanding things of me, and now your friends, and the battle is looming only a month away. It's a lot on my plate, and your presence has always been calming to me you know?"

I smiled and felt my eyes prickle with tears. I'd never heard so much heartfelt language leave Draco's mouth. "Turn over, Draco."

He looked a bit perplexed for a moment and then his eyes brightened when he realized what I was suggesting. He immediately turned over, and I moved even closer to him, still laying on my side facing his body. I began to rub his back lightly, only slowly increasing pressure as I felt him relaxing under my touch. I had missed doing this for him.

I leaned down and placed a kiss on the back of his neck and I felt him shiver at the sensation. "I've missed you too, Draco, so much more than I could ever explain. I miss talking with you and helping you directly in this long fight against Voldemort. I'm still helping while I'm here, but it isn't the same when I'm not with you...I am so happy to have you here tonight, I'd do just about anything to have you stay here with me forever."

Draco turned over to face me as I finished this speech and his eyes blazed with deep emotion. This time was slower, he pulled me to him and kissed me with purpose, taking his time, as if wanting to memorize the feeling of every moment. His tongue brushed my lips and I parted them willingly. He pulled me closer to him and my back was arching into him. I could feel him growing hard again against my thigh. I had both arms around him, feeling down the length of his body and moved one of my hands between us, taking his length into my hand, eliciting a slight hissing noise from him.

Still laying on our sides, I guided him inside me, throwing one of my legs over his hips. From this angle he was bringing me quickly to climax as he kept his body close and his hips moving slowly as he pushed deeply into me. I kept my mouth glued to his, loving the feel of his soft lips against mine. He used one of his hands to rub my clit, bringing me swiftly to completion, causing me to break away with a moan.

He latched himself onto my neck, moving his hand from my clit to my breast, massaging as he moved faster and faster against me to bring himself to peak. I move my hips in time with his, meeting his every thrust until he cried out, burying his head in my neck until he had completely relaxed again.

He removed himself but kept his legs entangled with mine, and feeling tired we decided on a brief nap, but refusing to waste the rest of the night sleeping, he set an alarm with his wand to go off in another hour.

His head was still laying in the crook of my neck, occasionally placing soft brief kisses against my neck and I had my arms around him, gently rubbing his back as I knew he loved. We laid intertwined and I wished that this night would never end, for in the morning he would leave and he would never be returning to Avalon.

* * *

AN: Halfway through writing the next chapter, but it's likely to be another long one. So here is a preview:

"With you at my side, they will never touch me or rebel against me," he said, impassioned. And immediately my eyes narrowed. I knew that this was the time that all of my doubts and complaints had to be vocalized.

"So tell me Malfoy, do you actually care for me or has it always been about your image? Did you only keep me around as your partner because I was suitable for you as leader?"

"So we are back to Malfoy now are we?" he asked avoiding the question.

"Answer me damn it! Was I simply a great asset or is there more to it? I'm only asking this once and if you feel nothing I will drop everything forever. You know I'm leaving for Avalon now and I cannot leave for many years and you could very well wash your hands of me right now if you choose...and if you do, then I will have to do the same," I said feeling more rational than I felt. I desperately hoped it wasn't all a game to him. That I was more than just a mere woman he found suitable to keep beside him in his reign. I hoped that he valued my real worth, how my support would truly help him beyond just that of looking good. I hoped that the desire to keep me around came from his feelings for me and not just his constant scheming to get ahead.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

In the next month I had taken Lady Awen's place completely and was finally getting used to my duties as Lady of the Lake. I also spent much of the time talking with Eamon. I had to spend most of my time now with preparing for the battle and I could not focus solely on my duties of Avalon and Eamon's help made that easier. He was a great advisor and friend, and he helped me determine the best course of action for the upcoming battle while reminding me of duties that could not be ignored as I got the hang of what was expected. I knew he wanted to leave Avalon with me, but the portal was still too risky. We had tried sending a few volunteers into the mortal realm, but all of them but one were sent to another part of the forest instead and another seems to be lost. As far as we know, Una is the only one who made it out with Lady Awen successfully since my initiation. It was not safe for more than one person to go through at a time, and at decent spans of time in between. I had already assigned a group of people to work on the magic that controls the portal, but little progress had been made. Even if he did go, he could not use his power to help. Behind me, he was the most powerful person in Avalon. He too did not use a wand, although he did need the precise spells or charms to use the magic.

He was powerful and insightful, and had a level patience that I could barely fathom which took some getting used to. When I considered that he's lived thousands of years here, and watched so much time pass, I understood how he could have unending patience in the passage of time.

One thing that surprised me at the end of every day we spent together was that he never once made any remark about having had sex together. Every other man, it does not matter who it is, would have said something. Depending on who it was, they would have made jokes, they would have felt awkward and tried to alleviate their discomfort by discussing it or they would have hit on me, looking for more. Eamon did nothing, although this did not disappoint me. I was curious about his thoughts, but I did not bring it up or allow him to see those thoughts when we shared telepathically. It made being around him much easier, when there were no reminders of what sex with him was like. I did not feel compelled to be with him again, I would not cheat on Draco, but at least the underlying desire was not strong now.

But we were close. I felt closer with him than I ever had with anyone solely because he was the only person who had seen so many exact memories from my life, and I from his. Although he was much older and wiser from many centuries of thinking and discussion, he did not speak down to me. He talked with me like I was his close friend, and I knew he was letting me see bits of him that no one else ever got to see. I felt like his equal on every level.

We had grown very close by the time it came for me to leave and he stood at the fountain with me as I prepared to leave, the very same fountain that Lady Awen had sent Draco and me back through all those months ago.

"Be careful," he said

"Not to be cocky or anything, but you are telling the most powerful witch in existence to be careful..." I teased, but I knew he was right to be concerned.

He smiled. "All the same...I do wish for your safety above all else. I will feel if anything happens to you, and I will risk the portal to come find you in the mortal realm if I need to."

"Eamon, nothing will happen. I will be okay."

He gave me a long hug and said, "I will be waiting for you. Good luck, in your battle and with Draco."

I wasn't quite sure what he meant by, good luck with Draco, but I knew he was very concerned for me at this moment so I stepped back and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, Eamon. I will be back soon."

And I swirled the water, watching it grow pink as I stepped forward.

I arrived on the edge of the lake in a whirl. Relieved that I had made my way through, I took a few moments to look around me. I realized instantly that it was later in the night than I had told Draco I would arrive, and after no more than three seconds, a figure was rushing towards from behind a tree.

"Stop!" I shouted. "Who are you?" The figure halted, alarmed. I too was alarmed at the tone of my voice, one of power that I had never used before, one that I never knew I possessed.

"It's me...Hermione...it's Ron..." he said a hesitantly. "You were late, and I came to wait for you, or try to find you somehow. Draco wanted to come himself, but there is too much going on now. We are preparing to attack in less than two hours!" As Ron spoke I flew forward and wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug.

"Woah, that's quite a different response than the one I go two seconds ago," Ron said laughing.

I stepped back laughing as well. "I'm so happy to see you again!"

Ron didn't reply but instead was looking at me as if I had sprouted another head.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, suddenly feeling concerned.

"You don't even look like yourself! Wow...you look...I mean... you just look like you shouldn't even exist."

I found myself laughing out loud at Ron's way with words. "How flattering, Ronald. From the way you're looking at me, I'd expect I look hideous."

He shook his head emphatically. "No, just the opposite."

"Well, I thank you for your strangely put compliment. It's just the effect of living in Avalon. But we must go if you said the battle begins soon. I don't know what happened, I thought I was leaving in time. I'm so sorry for being late. Are the preparations going well?" I said holding out my hand to him.

He took it and replied, "Yes, everything has been fine. Malfoy has been stressed since you didn't arrive when you said you would, which would put a damper on all of our plans, but aside from that, everyone is stationed where they need to be and as far as we can tell Voldemort has received no warning of ambush. We'll fill you in more when we get there." And with that he apparated us to the base of a shallow valley into a sea of tents.

"As much as I don't want to, Malfoy told me to bring you to him the moment we arrived," Ron said and began walking straight ahead.

"You two really don't get on any better now that you're working together?"

His face held an expression of disgust. "Don't count on it Hermione. Goodness only knows how you've looked past it."

"He's been great to me, Ron. We have a connection I never expected to find," I replied.

Ron quirked his brow in response with unspoken doubt in his great treatment.

"Well, for the most part...really Ron, I think he has it in him to be a good person, he has shown it with me. I just don't know if he realizes that." I said.

"I see what you mean Hermione. And although we'll never be chummy, I think you could be right...but, and I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but I don't think he's planning to be a good person." He then lowered his head so he could whisper, "I fear that once Voldemort is gone, the fighting will not be over. I fear another war, because he does not value life or equality. Many of us will not stand for it."

I nodded. "I understand, completely," I replied and let that be the extent of that conversation. I was not ready to go there yet. One battle at a time. This one was big enough, let alone another with Draco, a war I could not bear to think about if anything of the sort should come to pass.

I saw what must have been Draco's tent come into view. It was larger than the others, and decorated in silver and green whereas the others were plain.

"Is it true that after this you will have to return to Avalon indefinitely?" Ron asked suddenly.

"Yes," I said sadly. I did like Avalon, I could hardly complain about living there for the next two decades at least, assuming I had a daughter soon, but I could not imagine not seeing this world for so long. I knew that after such an outing as this one, I could not return here for some time. I had been told that it would be draining on my power and I could not return frequently after this. Not until the portal was renewed. But that would require work in this realm as well as in Avalon.

"Even if we weren't together anymore, I wish I had brought you with me when I left. That I had been able to talk you into leaving England," Ron said softly and sadly. "Then you would've never been captured and in this mess." He certainly looked angry with himself.

"Ron," I said, placing my hand on his arm. We had just about reached Draco's tent and I stopped him. "There were of course times when I wished you had taken me with you too and that I hadn't been so stubborn for once in my life. But we would not be here to defeat Voldemort at this moment if I did. We finally have a means to bring him to an end once and for all," I said. "It seems that without Draco's alliance, we never could have accomplished this. I don't regret anything, and you shouldn't ever regret what happened either."

Ron nodded. "You are right," and he suddenly smiled. "I will miss your constant voice of reason."

"I won't be gone forever Ron. But I will miss you too...I suppose I should go inside now," I said gesturing to Draco's tent.

Ron nodded. "See you in a bit," he said and he walked away.

I stepped into the tent, announcing myself as I entered. Draco immediately stood up from his desk, where he appeared to be pouring over something laying across the desk. A wave of relief seemed to pass over his face when I entered the tent and he rushed over to pull me into a hug.

"Finally, Hermione! I knew that the portal was not completely reliable yet and I was worried you were lost," he said and I returned his hug, taking in his scent and his hands pressing firmly against my back.

He seemed to remember that he was annoyed as well as concerned, and once the concern washed away, he immediately pulled away and said, "But where have you been? What did take you so long to get here? You told me you'd be here almost twelve hours ago!"

"I truly haven't the slightest idea. Perhaps I haven't quite caught on to exactly how Avalon time matches up with the time here, or maybe there is some unperceived time lapse when travelling through the portal, either way I left far too late and I'm sorry," I explained. I too was perplexed at how I could be late, and it was something I knew I would bring up with Eamon once I returned.

"This will not make it difficult to follow through with our plan will it?" he asked.

Our plan. It was the best one we could devise, since I could not use my powers personally in this war. It was enough that I was already here, but the changes that were made in Avalon to reduce our influence in this world disallowed me to use the power to its full extent in a matter of such significance. There was a way for me to pass my power onto another being temporarily, and I hoped that this in some way would get around those restrictions. I would give my power to Draco and he would defeat Voldemort. When I had told Draco of my idea when he was last at Avalon, he was eager, instantly realizing that he could have the glory of saying that he personally defeated Voldemort.

"Not at all," I assured him. All that I need to do is say the incantation. It will be done in a minute."

Draco nodded and then stepped closer to me again. "I know this might not be the most opportune time, but I want to have you before the battle, Hermione," he murmured against my ear. His arms were wrapping around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "You look so beautiful, I'd forgotten how different you look...but still my same Hermione..."

I smiled coyly up at him, but slid my arms around his neck. "I'm all yours, Draco."

He dipped his head and kissed me, first slowly and gently, and I responded in kind. I wanted to drag this out for as long as I could, and I got the feeling that he did too.

His tongue played against mine, teasing and tantalizing. Even in a moment like this is was difficult to move slowly and I wanted him undressed and on his bed this instant. But I reigned myself in, taking care to note the way his hair felt in my fingers, and the exact curves of his shoulders and back. I slowly pushed off the black cloak he had thrown on, and he let it slide down his arms and onto the floor. He wore one of his black button down shirts, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I ran my hands down his arms, and when I reached his hands he twined his fingers through mine with a heavy, burning gaze. I gave his hands a gentle squeeze, and in the next instant he had pulled me tighter to him, one arm around my waist and the other gripping the back of my head and he kissed me like he wanted to completely consume me, so I could never escape his presence.

He lifted me up, not removing his mouth from mine, and wrapped my legs around his waist. Slowly, he carried me to a small, low bed in the corner of his tent. I was laid down gently and he trailed his hands down the length of my body before he laid his body against mine, capturing my lips.

I slipped my hands beneath his shirt, running them up and down his back and around over his taut stomach. One by one I flicked open the buttons of his shirt and I pushed him onto his back so I could kiss my way down his chest as I exposed more and more of his skin to my eager eyes. His breathing came quicker as I reached the top of his pants and I trailed my tongue lightly over his skin, at which point he shivered and pulled me up.

I sat over him, moving my hips over him seeking friction and he opened my robes. Coming from Avalon, I was wearing the typical opalescent pale blue robes, under which I wore nothing. When I sat up to let the robe fall around my waist, he was shocked to find only me beneath them. He drew a sharp intake of breath as he looked me over and in one swift movement he had me beneath him with the robe thrown to the floor.

He kissed me roughly as he took one of my breasts in his hand, gently kneading and flicking his thumb over my nipple. He trailed his lips down over my jaw and neck until his lips and teeth reached my other breast and I felt my hips bucking more and more him, desperate for more. I did my best to pull at the buckle of his pants, but I could hardly focus, so with his free hand, he unclasped the belt for me. I pulled it from the belt loops, tossing it to the floor, and then had the same trouble with the button of his pants.

"Draco," I moaned desperately.

He unbuttoned his pants and stood up to kick them and his boxers off. He was more than ready, I thought he might immediately get to it once he had removed that final obnoxious barrier, but instead, he slipped two of his fingers inside me.

Seeing that I liked this, he kept his mouth around one of my nipples, flicking his tongue ever so lightly, in a way that was driving me mad as he worked his fingers against me. I was rapidly reaching my peak, and he seemed to realize this because he abruptly stopped and positioned himself to enter.

By now when he finally entered me, I was thoroughly shaking with desire and I gasped as he began to move against me.

He tried moving slowly at first, to prolong everything, but I knew I was very wet and he was picking up the pace quickly, seemingly torn between intense pleasure and agony because he was just as aroused as I was, and in desperate need of release.

He was beginning to tremble with the strain of not giving in, of waiting until I had my satisfaction to experience his own. And I was getting very close, just on the cusp...

"Hermione," he moaned in my ear, and that did it. I felt a surge of ecstasy and my walls clenched around him, and I knew he felt it too because he moaned again and moved faster and faster until he shuddered and let out a sharp cry as he slowed his movements. He moved to lay beside me, with his head nestled in my neck.

"Only you have ever been able to make me feel that amazing," he said dreamily. He was happy in this post coital pose.

I smiled. "It's mutual...I'm going to miss this," I replied, and to my surprise I noticed the sadness that suddenly crept into my voice.

He looked up at me. "Don't be sad right now. I want these last moments together before we go to fight to be happy."

"Shall I tell about the powers I'm giving you then?" I asked, smiling even more broadly. He was so happy right now that it was almost strange, but contagious.

He nodded enthusiastically, like a little boy about to be told the greatest, most unfathomable secret.

So I began speaking and he laid his head on my chest, allowing me to stroke his hair. "First I must tell you that you do not have all of my powers, there are restraints. And you can't use it on me no matter what it is you want to do."

He picked his head up from my chest, looking at me as if offended. "You think I would even consider that?"

"We both know you are capable of anything when in the heat of a moment. I'm just telling you the scope of the power, Draco. Now let me finish explaining," I said gently and carried on.

I was drawing to the conclusion of my description when Zabini suddenly stuck his head into the tent.

"Ah, Granger, you finally made it I see," he said laughing.

My eyes widened in shock and I scrambled to get under the blankets of the bed, but I felt relieved that at least Draco's body was hiding mine from Zabini's view for the most part. He could see Draco's naked butt all he wanted. Draco's eyes widened in shock and he picked up an article of clothing to cover himself as he turned around to face Zabini.

"What?" he said gruffly.

Zabini chuckled. "You told us to come meet you an hour before the battle. We are supposed to be at our stations soon."

Draco nodded. "Give us five minutes."

With a nod, Zabini left, still laughing to himself.

Draco turned around and looked at me. It appeared that before Zabini had walked in he'd almost forgotten exactly where he was, and he wasn't thinking about the eventual, but inevitable interruption. Now he was the one who looked mildly sad.

"I suppose we should get dressed," he said.

I got up and hugged him tightly. "Now don't you be sad either, Draco. This is your moment," I said as I stepped back and met his eyes.

"You're right, it is the time I've been waiting for," he said as he squared his shoulders with sharp nod. I watched his face refocusing, thinking about the battle at hand.

We dressed and walked over to the desk where he was

A smile grew as he looked down at me. "You are the most amazing woman Hermione Granger."

"And you are an amazing man. We will take Voldemort down together, finally...and you will be remembered forever," I said, placing my hand lightly against his cheek.

He held my hand against his face for a moment, his eyes closing. When they opened, they were burning again and swooped down to kissed me soundly.

Barely two seconds had elapsed and I heard Zabini at the entrance of the tent.

"Still?" he said with mock exasperation as he led the group that came marching into the tent.

I couldn't help but laugh. Draco and I separated, ready to make the final battle preparations.

* * *

AN: One more chapter and then the epilogue!

Also, that preview I had in the last chapter obviously didn't end up being in this one. It's in the next chapter. I really can't put previews up because I never stick to an outline.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Everyone poured into the room. Nott followed just behind Zabini and behind him was Armand, Leon, Pansy, Ron and to my utter surprise, Neville and Dean.

They all appeared shocked to see me too.

"That's really you Hermione?" Pansy asked, looking at me in awe.

I laughed. "Goodness, the way everyone is reacting I must have looked down right terrible before I went to Avalon."

"Honey, we all look like a sack of dirt in comparison to you right now. That's just not even fair," Pansy said but she was smiling.

Neville and Dean both rushed forward then and each swept me up into a crushing hug. "We heard about your capture and thought we'd never see you again," Neville said.

"It's so great to see you both too," I replied. "I can hardly believe that I'm really seeing you again either."

Armand then came up and pulled me into a tight hug too. "I've been so hopeful that everything has been going well for you there...and here you are. You couldn't look better! I hope you are as happy there too," he said smiling down at me.

"I am happy," I said, not really lying but also not speaking the complete truth. But now was not the time to get into my in depth thoughts of Avalon with him. "And you? How are you?"

"As happy as I can be in these times."

"Where is Cecile?" I asked.

"She's at home. We learned only a week ago that she is pregnant and I would not allow her to fight. Luckily Draco shared my sentiments," he said. "I've brought Leon into our small circle here in her stead."

I looked over to his handsome brother Leon, and he put out his hand in greeting. "It's nice to meet the real you, Miss Granger," he said referring to the fact that when he met me, I was disguised as Mya.

Nott stayed where he was only saying, "Nice to see you again, Granger."

I nodded. "It's good to see you too."

And before anyone else could get another word in, Draco drawled, "Now if all the mushy greetings are over, if we could get back to the business at hand." He was back to his serious work face and he had no patience for sentimentality unless it was between me and him, and even that only mildly.

"Now, we are all going to be leading groups attacking from different positions," he said and we all gathered around to see where he pointed on the map. "Hermione, I have put you with Weasley and Pansy to lead forces into the eastern side. They will fill you in when we take formation. Longbottom and Thomas...are your men prepared in the north?" Both of them nodded. "Good. Remember, that's where the bulk of werewolves have been seen. Be on your guard. Armand and Leon, you will have to take the outlying tunnels in the northeast," he said running his finger along a stretch of mountain on the map. "It is imperative that this is done as quickly and discretely as possible and then Armand, you are to join half of your forces with Hermione in the East. Leon, you will take the other half to the west. Theo and Blaise...you know what to do at the west. But wait for my command. You're most visible there and once you're noticed, all forces will be summoned." Draco would be pulling up the south, entering through the most hidden back entrance, undoubtedly the one that Voldemort would hurry off to once the odds looked grim. From the knowledge Ron had of the tunnels inside, this passage would also be the most direct path to Voldemort, whom he hoped to reach quickly to prevent as much bloodshed as possible.

"We can't aparate within the mountains, they have protections up. So we have no choice but go on foot once we aparate about a mile from their perimeter. I want everyone in formation in ten minutes so I can cast as effective of a concealing charm as I can. Are there any questions?"

No one responded. "Good. You all know what's expected of each of you. Go and round up your troops. Hermione and I have some final preparations to make and will join you in ten minutes."

Everyone nodded and quickly walked from the tent. The time had arrived for everything to be thrown into action and the anticipation was palpable.

"If you say so," Zabini said with a smirk. "But you've only got time for a quickie at most, keep that in mind Granger."

I scowled at him as he walked out of the tent. "Nice to see none of them have changed in the past year."

"You know deep down you love them," he teased.

"Not quite. Tolerable at best," I quipped.

"Just like your friends?" he said, still amused.

"You wish your friends were as great as mine," I said and then suddenly remembered something. "You don't need to change my appearance?"

"Hermione, there is not one person here who will recognize you anymore. Are you even aware of how you look?"

I shrugged. "Not really. But I'm curious now...what have your followers been thinking you've been doing with me this entire time you've been supposedly hold me captive?"

"Oh, well at first I said I was keeping you for questioning. Thought you had to know something about Voldemort's whereabouts or resistance fighters and such. But then when Weasley came about, I pretended that a deal had to be struck. In exchange for your release, he would give me all the information he had about Voldemort and a guarantee of the support of resistance fighters in the war."

"That was quite a good plan of yours," I commended.

"I'm always full of good ideas. Now let's get our most important one under way so I can get out there," he replied.

I nodded. "I need to make a cut in both of our hands, and then as we are holding hands, I have to recite the proper incantation."

He used his wand to slice one hand on each of us open, and then held our palms together. I channeled all of my energy into sending the components of my power I could relinquish into him as I recited to complex incantation. When I drew to a close, for a moment nothing happened, and then all the air in the tent became tight, and I felt dizzy as though all the air was being swept out of me. It lasted only a few seconds, and when I regained full composure, I knew immediately that it had worked. Draco had dropped my hand and his eyes were wide. I knew he was experiencing a fraction of what I had when I fully gained Lady Awen's powers.

As I watched Draco's composure change, steadily becoming more potent and fulfilled by the second, I suddenly felt empty.

"I feel...amazing...like I can accomplish anything," Draco murmured softly.

I nodded. "You very well can. Try it out. And drop your wand, because you won't be needing it. Just think of what you want, and it will happen."

As he dropped his, I withdrew mine from a pocket in my robe. It felt foreign in my hand after not using it. I felt limited.

He held his palm open flat and a small flame appeared. In another second the flame was flying across the room from his hand and I feared that he would burn the tent down, but at the last moment he retracted it, and it disappeared inside his now closed hand. He looked at me in awe.

"And you said I can have full control over another person?"

"Yes," I said nodding. "But you must be careful," I urged, "and don't cause more damage than is necessary!"

He nodded. "I promise, no more damage than necessary," he replied seriously, boring his eyes into mine. And all of a sudden I felt myself being lifted from the ground.

"Draco what are you doing?" I yelped.

He smiled and walked slowly reaching out to me. "Relax," he said as he took me into his arms out of the air.

"This is amazing Hermione," he said, holding me against him. "And I recognize what you are giving up right now in giving me this power. Thank you."

I was surprised by this tone in him, and I was reminded of his great capacity to be good. Why did this tend to be secondary behavior for him?

"You deserve it Draco, and I know you will use it wisely."

He smiled broadly, as though hearing those words, my belief in him, made him happier than anything else could. He slowly placed me down on the floor and a thought seemed to occur to him suddenly. "Do you think I could use these powers to bring you intense pleasure, if you know what I mean?" he asked with a smirk.

I could barely fathom what he could bring to me with these powers. I hadn't even thought of it, but count on him to bring sex into the equation.

"I don't know Draco, and unfortunately we don't have time to try that out. We need to get out there," I said straightening my robes.

He chuckled. "If only we did have the time," he said wistfully. "But you are right," he added and his serious face was back.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

I nodded determinedly. "Let's go."

He kissed me chastely on the lips and led the way from the tent.

Outside was a frenzy of black cloaked people. Everyone was shouting orders at one another, urging quicker and quicker preparations. Draco's newfound power seemed to radiate from him, and he cut a wide path through the crowds without a word, leading us to the front lines. The people looked at him, and even at me, in wonder. Their leader suddenly exuded more power and confidence than ever before, and here was this woman of supposed unimaginable beauty following behind him. I still had no clear picture of how I looked, as my reflection in the water of Avalon is all I have seen of myself, but I was caught the awed gazes of those I passed and I couldn't help but blush since it wasn't a response I was used to getting under any circumstances. But I knew that we both must be quite a sight to behold.

We reached the front lines, and took a few steps to the top of a line of rock that allowed a better look down the slight slope of the valley. At least twenty thousand wizards stood before us, just about in perfect and complete formation and the sight was daunting. Zabini and Nott already had their troops in line, and were standing at the head a short way away from us. The others were making last minute adjustments, sending orders down the line.

As we stood before the mass of Draco's army, Draco took my hand firmly in his. I looked over to see him gazing proudly over the troops he had assembled. He had fighters assembled here from all over the world, and from every ideology. All here to destroy a man who has wreaked havoc on our world for far too long, and the end was in sight. It was a proud moment for him, and standing there with him, it was hard not to feel proud too.

When Pansy and Ron, Neville and Dean, and Armand and Leon had completely gathered their troops a minute later, they stood near us at the head.

Draco then raised his hands, and with a gesture over covering the entire force, he had cast a concealment charm on the entire force.

And without needing to magnify his voice, he then spoke with such fierceness and power that the field was silent.

"The moment is upon us to take back this world from an evil tyrant! One who has damaged our world so thoroughly that the scars will never disappear. Now is the time to fight for what you know is right, for your families, for our future and the future of all the people in the world. Tonight we will see the end of Voldemort!"

And with a battle cry that gave me goose bumps and shook me to the core, the energy of battle was released. All at once, the leaders sprang to their positions before their troops, ready to begin the march.

Draco turned me to face him, and gave me a long silent look. "I wish I could fight at your side, that we could take him down together," he said softly.

"We are in a way, Draco. Now, go and we will find each other after the battle," I replied confidently. I saw that wave of admiration and appreciation cross over his face again as it had before that raid I joined him on all those months ago. He still knew I could always take care of myself.

He lingered beside me a moment longer, his eyes searching my face, and then he turned to walk to his troops and I walked over to Ron's side, joining him and Pansy at the front.

Not knowing exactly where we were aparating to as everyone else did, I took Ron's hand and we were transported to another area in the mountain range with a similar terrain.

"Do you see that particularly high ridge out there," Ron said pointing before him.

"Yes."

"That's where we are headed. Our plan is to attack from all sides and draw everyone out of the caves and into the center of a field that is in the west. That's where most of Voldemort's troops lie in waiting, in the west, because that's where they would expect an attack most. It's the most open and direct path into their caves. Little do they know that we know of even the most obscure passages into their lair. He also has only ten thousand fighters at most, including those he will call to him when he realizes his is under siege. He is going to be overwhelmed from all sides."

"What can you tell me about the east side in particular?"

"After the west where Zabini and Nott are leading the bulk of the troops, the east is the most heavily protected. There are many vampires here, and they're very strong since Voldemort keeps them stocked with enough muggles to feed on even multiple times in a night. We're attacking as dawn approaches so they 're weaker even if we can't draw them into the sunlight easily. And they are not easy to kill. We'll have to be thorough, which is why the east is going to be demanding. Where Armand and Leon are going is where most of the guards are looking out. On the northern end is a flat expanse where a wide view of the surrounding valleys and mountain ranges can be seen. We won't attack until we see Armand coming around to where we'll be waiting and then we're going to break off into groups of thirty to fifty, allowing us to enter through all of the tunnel openings from this side. Leon has a means of contacting Malfoy when he reaches Nott and Zabini, and Malfoy will then tell Nott and Zabini to begin the attack in the west, drawing the attention there so he can sneak in through the south."

"How long do you think we'll be waiting?" I asked. "Are there many guards?"

"We shouldn't be waiting long, but it all depends on if they are able to get through without any of the guards sending up an alarm," Ron replied as we came to a halt where we were to the place we were supposed to wait, under cover of a large overhang, out of view of the guards.

"They'll be reaching the guards any minute," Pansy said softly, trying to get as good a look of the range as she could. But nothing could be heard or seen.

Nearly twenty minutes passed in silence and rising anticipation. "It shouldn't be taking them this long," Pansy muttered as she started to pace the ground. Concerned features were growing on Ron's face too.

And at that moment we hear the pops of aparation all around us. With a collective sigh of relief we saw that it was Armand and his men.

"Well that took a bit longer than expected. I don't know if he's been expecting some kind of attack, but there were more guards than we thought up there. We best be on our guard when we get inside," Armand shouted as he ran towards us.

"But you were successful?" Ron asked.

Armand nodded. "Very. I don't believe any got away. We heard no warning sent out. We only had a few injuries, but no deaths yet."

"Good, that's perfect," Pansy said with visible relief. She then magnified her voice. "Now is when we must break off into our groups. All of you know which tunnel you are to enter through. And remember, always push them west!"

With that everyone split up, choosing one path or another through the rocks.

Armand left with twenty some Frenchmen, shouting, "Allons-y!" as they aparated.

Ron, Pansy and I led thirty people down to the lowest entrance of the tunnels.

The tunnel was lit with small torches near the ceiling, giving the rock a burned red appearance. We walked on an on, never meeting anyone.

"We must be near the quarters of the vampires," I said softly.

"You're right, but what makes you say that," Ron asked, surprised.

"There are no death eaters around here. I'd expect them to avoid the vampires, no matter how well fed they are."

"I don't know why I'm even surprised anymore. You're too clever," Ron muttered.

We were about a mile into the tunnel when we came upon large doors with elaborate gold carvings.

"This is where the vampires sleep," Pansy whispered.

Ron withdrew something putrid smelling from his cloak. "Ron, what are you doing?" I asked before I could see what was in his hands.

"Old garlic cloves," he said and began passing them out to everyone. "It actually works a little bit. So if anyone needs some time to recover or anything like that, just take out the garlic."

I stuffed the garlic into my pocket and prepared to enter. Five of the people we had with us took a tunnel to our right that led to another room on the other side of the vampire chamber. They would be waiting there, sure to have the door open and the room cleared by the time we got to the room.

"They will be sleeping now, so we must get as many as possible before the rest notice a disturbance in the room," Pansy said softly and slowly and soundlessly pushed open the large stone doors.

Rows upon rows of boxes lined the room. Not wasting a moment, we sprang to action, lighting fire to all the coffins we passed. Only a quarter of the way through the long room, we heard the first shrieks rise up. Coffin lids popped open with such speed we were all taken aback for a moment. In an instant almost fifty vampires were awake and out of their coffins, taking in the damage being done around them. The only positive was that the vampires in the fire consumed coffins were not moving, likely paralyzed by the flames.

With fangs barred, the vampires flew at us at full force. The garlic was hardly enough to keep them subdued, and they were as quick as lightning, evading all blasts of fire we shot at them, the only way to destroy them. All other spells they rebounded from, coming back to full life in little more than ten seconds.

I caught Ron's eye and he too understood that if something wasn't done quickly, we would be overrun by the remaining vampires. They were too quick and powerful and we had already lost two men to them. Ron looked to the ceiling and back at me, and I knew exactly what he had in mind. I gave a short nod and then plowed through as many vampires as I could, trying to reach the other side before too much damage was done. Ron raised his hand, and with a loud crack, the rock above us split. The ceiling began to crumble and we all rushed to the door of room. Vampires were stopped in their tracks, burning in the growing patches of sunlight.

Looking back from the doorway, making sure all of our people were out of there, I flicked my wrist, whipping a stream of fire around the room, to be sure that any who found cover from the sun would be burned in another way, and quickly exited following Ron and Pansy, locking the door behind me with every incantation I could think of. At this point we saw a group of death eaters fleeing from a corridor to our left. When they noticed us standing there, they shouted curses, but not before we had already shot down a fair few of them. As their progression dwindled, we could see Armand leading ten others down the tunnel. Apparently they had been chasing these death eaters all the way down here. They reached us, and all the death eaters had fallen and Armand wiped the sweat from his forehead as he walked to us at our position in the center of the room.

"How many have you lost?" he asked quickly.

"We lost two to the vampires, but two others are seriously wounded," Ron said, gesturing to the two men being taken care of with the best medicine we had available at the moment. "And you?"

"None yet. I sent the other ten down another path. Let those wounded get out of here," Armand said. "We know that Voldemort has put down the aparation barrier. His external forces started arriving only minutes ago. That's who they were," he said gesturing to the death eaters strewn about the floor that he had just chased down the tunnel.

Those trying to tend the wounded men nodded and aparated them to the medical area we had set up back at camp, and in another five seconds, they had reappeared in the cave with us.

And at that moment we heard a stampede of footsteps coming from every direction. There were four tunnels leading into the room. They were maybe all of thirty seconds away from reaching the room from every direction.

"This is not good," Armand said.

"Quickly, Ron and Pansy, you need to keep moving west. We have to keep moving westward at all costs, drawing them into the field. Take half the group here and push them back through the tunnels, and Armand and I will stay here with the rest and hold off the onslaught as long as we can," I ordered.

They all nodded, and immediately, half of the group followed Ron and Pansy down the two tunnels that led to the western caves.

Before our death eaters reached us, we heard the spells blasting in Pansy and Ron's tunnels.

"We can't let them fill the room," I said to Armand and he nodded.

"Everyone spread out and find protection as close to the entrances as you can!" he shouted and the group was already moving into position.

Armand and I remained in the center of the room with two others, ready to draw in the bulk of the onslaught.

As soon as we could see the first death eaters, we shot curses through the tunnels. Death eaters were rushing down two separate tunnels towards us, and the sound of footsteps never relented, only grew.

Armand looked at me with a grimace. We both knew that there were far more of them than there were of us, and perhaps too many.

The death eaters came pouring in faster than we could send out curses. And each of us were trying to fight off sometimes two death eaters at a once. We had all joined in the center of the room, but the death eaters blasted us apart, sending large rocks blasted from the walls our way. We scrambled for cover, and I saw Armand's head smashed by one of the large rocks.

I let out a scream, and I knew that Armand's men were enraged by the sight, and they all joined me in rising up and pushing the death eaters back with everything we had. We were finally making a dent in the death eater numbers, but as I looked around, there were only seven men left standing with me. All of them never relenting in their onslaught. When another man fell, the others let out a cry and left the circle we had formed, and began physically attacking the ten death eaters that were left, backing them into corners, picking up the same rocks they had used on us only minutes ago.

When the last death eater was killed, I was left with only those six others standing, all part of Armand's group of Frenchmen. They were all clearly very strong, and fiercely loyal. When we were certain no more death eaters could be heard coming to attack the room, they ran to tend to their fallen comrades. I ran to find Armand laying beside the large rock that had smashed into his head.

To my utter surprise, he was still breathing, but he wasn't conscious. I tried the one spell I knew that could potentially fix him without having to send him out of the field. If it didn't work, then I would know for certain how severe the damage was. I felt tears coming to my eyes as I look over him. The first, and one real friend I had made while I was in Draco's home.

I waited a long minute, watching the blood flow slowly come to a halt, and the gash in his head closed up. He came to, looking about his surroundings with a dazed look.

"What happened?" he asked. "Am I still in the caves?"

I nodded. "You were knocked out by this rock," I said holding up the blood covered rock to show him. "Are you feeling lightheaded, do you remember who you are, why your here?" I asked quickly.

He nodded. "I'm not feeling very lightheaded, and I remember. How many did we lose?" he asked. "There were more coming through than I thought."

With relief I answered. "Almost all. It's us and six of your men left."

The disappointment was blatant in his face, and then we noticed people standing around us.

The other survivors had sent the rest of the injured men and women to the medical tent and were looking at Armand waiting for direction.

"We've got to keep moving," he said as he stood up.

Armand and I rushed through the tunnels with the other six survivors to catch up with Ron and Pansy, but we could not hear them anymore. Even if we didn't find them, we determined that we must reach the western caves as quickly as possible, for our aid would be most needed there.

We travelled through miles under the mountain, only finding tiny pockets of two or three death eaters at a time, who we took care of easily.

We reached the large foyer opening in the west, the main entrance to the field, and we could see the battle taking place out there. Ron and Pansy could have only arrived minutes before us, because they were still not quite swept up into the major throng of ugly fighting bodies. I spotted Daphne and Pansy in a battle with Bellatrix Lestrange, and not far from them was Leon in a fight with his youngest brother Mathis. This was every bit as horrifying and ugly as the battle that happened at Hogwarts all those years ago. We went out into the open field and the day was later than I thought it was, and I realized it must have taken longer to get from one side of the mountain to the other that it seemed to while we were searching for the others.

We were drawn into the battle by death eaters running towards us at full speed, and the fighting carried on until evening was drawing in.

_What is taking Draco so long?_ I wondered as I found a few seconds to break behind the cover of a boulder. Too many lives were being lost. Granted we clearly had the upper hand out here on the field, but any life lost was a pity and there were dead bodies everywhere I looked.

I was spotted by another death eater and drawn back into the fight. He was a skilled fighter, defending my attacks almost with ease for a full minute before I could slip one in quickly enough that weakened him. I pounded away, curse after curse as I moved closer and closer to him, but before I dealt him the last, life ending blow, we heard shouts and everyone was looking up to a cliff that towered over the south west corner of the field.

We all stopped. Draco and Voldemort had reached the edge of the cliff just above where we were fighting, and Draco was clearly in control. With blast after blast, that Voldemort was barely defending, Draco drove Voldemort closer to the edge of the cliff.

Voldemort's wand was forced from his grasp and he looked behind in rising fear. At the sheer cliff he was a step away from falling over and the mass of us in the field. He held up his hands in a plea to wait a moment, because he had something to say. "Young Malfoy! You have fought well, but it is unwise to kill me...I have much knowledge and power! We are the same, and I can help you...we can rule this world together!"

As much as he tried to sound firm, the terror was unmistakable. He never imagined he would be in this position, fighting against a wizard that had managed to acquire more power than himself, and a power that Voldemort could hardly fathom.

"You know I will not accept that! You killed my parents, you have committed evil acts to atrocious to be redeemed. You and I are not the same!"

"But how are we not the same, young Draco? You will pursue all that I have. Pureblood rights, subjugation of muggles to our will. You want to establish a world much like the one I aim for."

I knew at that moment that all of us in the rebellion against Voldemort and the people like Draco knew he had a point. It's why Ron warned me when I arrived, and why I knew every alliance that grew in these past few months would crumble once this fight was won.

"Enough!" Draco shouted, paying no heed to his words. "Enough of your meaningless words. Your time has come to an end Voldemort, and it is time you accepted it!" And with that, Draco mustered all strength and performed what could only be done with my powers.

Before our eyes the man's body disintegrated, and then burst into flames. Millions of fire balls lit up the sky above the cliff.

"And may every piece of your soul be destroyed! Never, under any form may you return to this life!" he shouted and every flame went out, and every molecule of Tom Riddle's body was destroyed, dissipated into the atmosphere as mere heat and wasted energy.

Draco's voice then filled the valley below him. "All who fought for Voldemort who value their life will surrender to us now, with the understanding that you will all be taken into custody for questioning. All other who refuse, will be giving up their lives right this minute. We have you surrounded from all sides, every entrance and exit is covered. Make your decisions and make them fast, because my men and women shall kill you immediately if you do not surrender." And with that he disappeared, aparating somewhere out of sight.

Repeated cries of victory reached the sky.

Ron and Pansy and I all hugged, ecstatic with victory. Armand, Zabini, Nott and Greenegrass ran over and joined us, all former hatred between Ron and the other men lost in our celebration. I spotted Leon not far away tending a wounded countryman. Neville and Dean ran over too, Neville swooping me up into a hug shouting, "We did it! You did it!"

At that moment, we saw Draco making his way to us. It was clear that he was set on coming to me, he was looking at me only and the others walked away, to other parts of the field to aid with the wounded or prisoners.

I gave Ron another hug and looked at him one last time, silently saying good-bye, for the present. I hoped desperately that nothing would happen and that I would see him again. He walked away to rejoin Pansy and the others and I turned to Draco.

With the thrill of victory, he appeared even more powerful than before. A fearsomely beautiful sight to behold. If the world were forever subjected to the magnitude of this power under his will, I saw at once that under his current mind frame, there would be no mercy. He wore the look of a man sure of his will and his destiny, hardened to all those who would dare stand in his way.

But when his eyes fell upon me, the look transformed into one of such deep compassion and even love. I wished that look appeared more frequently and more naturally in his face. He ran to me and swept me up, and kissed me soundly.

After a minute, he put me down, and holding my face in his hands he said, "We did it, and I would've never done it without you."

"You were brilliant up there, Draco. But before you continue, I must take the power back," I replied.

He looked a little disappointed, but nodded, and we completed the same ritual for the transfer of power as earlier.

"Give me a moment to collect myself," I said when I was finished.

"That was amazing!" Draco said about to burst from having to contain his excitement for a few moments when I finally gave him the go ahead to speak. "I've never felt so in control!"

"It is amazing, this power," I said smiling at his joy. "And we won because of it. I wish Harry could be here to see the day," I continued, saying the last part mostly to myself. Draco didn't seem to be listening to me though.

"With you at my side, they will never touch me or rebel," he said, impassioned. And immediately my eyes narrowed. I knew that this was the time that all of my doubts and complaints had to be expressed. Was I just leverage for him to use over potential enemies or dissenters?

"So tell me Malfoy, do you actually care for me or has it always been about your image? Did you only keep me around as your partner because I was suitable for you as leader?"

"So we're back to Malfoy now are we?" he asked avoiding the question.

"Answer me damn it! Was I simply a great asset or is there more to it? I'm only asking this once and if you feel nothing I will drop everything forever. You know I'm leaving for Avalon now and I cannot leave for many years and you could very well wash your hands of me right now if you choose...and if you do, then I will have to do the same," I said feeling more rational than I really was. I desperately hoped it wasn't all a game to him. That I was more than just a mere woman he found suitable to keep beside him in his reign. I hoped that he valued my real worth, how my support would truly help him beyond just that of looking good. I hoped that the desire to keep me around came from his feelings for me and not just his constant scheming to get ahead.

He hesitated in answering and stared at the ground for a long time. When he looked up he looked pained and saddened. "Hermione..." he breathed. He took hold of both of my hands in his. "I care about you, I feel more for you than I thought I could feel for another person...I...I would do anything for you, Hermione...give you anything. I would share all of my power, my money, anything I have with you. Everything that is mine is yours, I will give you anything you ever want just to make you happy. Seeing you happy makes me the happiest person alive. I don't know what else I can do to prove to you how much I want you in my life but please...please finally understand that what I feel for you is not superficial. Just being around you makes me happy...I need you around, Hermione."

I hesitated for a moment before answering, knowing that it would not please him. Oh yes, it was a relief to know that he had not been stringing me along, but what does his money mean to me? How much interest could I possibly have in a man who could treat other people with such cruelty. It still hurt me to say what I must.

"I never wanted any of that Draco, and you should know that," I said slowly.

"And just what do you want then? When you know how much I care about you and that I can give you everything any woman could ever ask for, what is it that you find so unpleasing about me now?" His tone was growing angry and pained.

"I want peace. I want everyone in this world to live as equals."

He remained silent for a long time, his jaw clenching.

"Well it seems we are at an impasse," I said, breaking the silence. "We both want the other to give up everything we have fought for. Let's face it Draco, what we have isn't even a healthy relationship. We're not exactly open and we are constantly at a conflict...This would have been a silly relationship anyways," I said as I backed away from him. "In all the time I've spent with you, you've gone back and forth in just about every feeling and action towards me. Goodness knows I couldn't have spent years living a life where I had to question your every action. Do you even understand your motives half the time?"

He seemed hurt by what I said, and I was starting to feel a little sorry that this had to be the content of what might be our last conversation. "You're right, I did go back and forth many times. But not towards the end though, never towards the end. If you believe what I just told you, you'll know that my feelings were always genuine and they still are. Don't push me away right now because you're uncertain of where to go from here. We can work this whole situation out..." he said drifting off at the end.

"What is there to work out? I simply cannot support you while you rule with an iron fist over the world."

His face darkened as I once again brought up how much I loathed the idea of him in power. "If your feelings were genuine then you would understand how important this is to me. You wouldn't ask me to turn away from everything I fought for!"

"Don't you dare turn this around on me, Draco! I never once asked you to turn away from your power -"

"You essentially are by telling me you won't stay by my side! You are making me choose between you and everything I've ever wanted and that's not a fair expectation."

"Well neither is your expectation that I just sit by and watch you rule the world with your blind hatred of everyone that is different from you! I don't approve of your ideologies and I won't pretend to support them. And that's just aside from the fact that I am not the sort of woman who can just sit at your side idly, and you know that. Was I supposed to just be _Mya_ for the rest of my life?"

He did not say anything, and before he could, I continued, "I can't stay by your side anyways. I must live in Avalon permanently with no connection to the happenings of the mortal realm until I've had a daughter who can take my place when she comes of age."

"So this is it? I won't see you again for another 20 years or so? I thought you said you were working on fixing the portal."

"We are, but something like that takes time, and you should have been able to understand that. It has to be this way. And perhaps I won't see even longer than that. I don't know when I'll have a child old enough to take my place, and even then, I don't know if I will see you."

He picked up on what I was saying. "So you won't want to see me if I don't give up my power?"

"Well..." I began but then trailed off, not sure of what I wanted to say to that.

"That's answer enough for me, Hermione. You can't pick and choose which parts of me you'll accept. It's all or nothing and if you don't like something that I have worked so hard for and something that has defined who I am for so long now, then I'm done."

I was the one pushing him away, but it still killed me to hear him say that he's done. I made one last plea to him, desperately hoping he would see reason.

"Why must you be such a fool, Draco! How can you be so blind to the mistake you are making? People are not made to be the property of others, no matter how lowly you think them. You have a chance, a single chance to create a free world! Don't you realize that is where true greatness lies?"

"I knew that you would do this, choose your high and mighty ideals over me! You are so selfish!"

"You're right, I am. And that's the only way I can be. If you don't do what you must know is right, then I can't continue pretending that you have a good heart. Before now, I could hope that you were not the tyrant I knew you wanted to become, but once you take that last step, there is no changing. You could be remembered as the man who saved the wizarding and muggle world from terror and tyranny, instead you're going to carry it on. I am so, so disappointed in you, Draco."

With these words Draco's head fell. "And I am disappointed in myself. For opening up to a woman who would never stay with me when I offered her the world...And I'm even more disappointed when I know that I would do it all over again if I had the chance."

Draco was defeated. I had never seen Draco look defeated and I felt my eyes prickle with tears as I looked at him. In another moment I had my arms around him quickly and tightly, and he returned the embrace with an abandon that I didn't fathom was in him.

"I've loved you so much Hermione," Draco breathed into my ear and I shuddered.

"And I've loved you...more than you know. I still love you, and the good that I know is somewhere in you. "

He stepped back and gave me a long searching look, hoping that I might change my mind. Even his eyes seemed a little watery.

"I must leave now, Hermione," he said. "I really can't take this anymore."

I nodded and stepped away from him. I bit my lip to keep from sobbing.

"I hope - no, I know that I will see you again...good-bye Hermione."

I couldn't help but smile a bit at those last words. "Good-bye Draco." And after he took one last long look at me he disappeared.

I finally let my guard down as I returned to Avalon, sobbing incessantly until I reached my tree and I perched myself on my bed. All I could think was why couldn't those words have been first exchanged in happy circumstances? _That's because everything with Draco is a drama,_ I answered myself. _Always a dragged out, over the top drama_.

Still I felt an emptiness grip me that I had not felt in a very long time. Not since I knew that Harry and all those closest to me were dead except for Ron. And then I lost Ron for a time. That was emptiness on a level I never expected to experience. This was right there with it. Losing this one man was like losing everyone I ever knew all at once. Soon I let exhaustion overtake me and I fell into a long dreamless sleep.

When I awoke, I rolled over to see Eamon sitting on the floor of my tree right beside the entrance. His knees were up and his head was resting on his arms that were folded across his knees.

"Eamon?" I said to see if he was awake.

He immediately looked up.

"You didn't come find me when you returned...I was concerned."

"Why?" I asked, genuinely confused. "You would have known if I was hurt, even while I was in the mortal realm."

"It wasn't that I was worried about, it was what passed between you and Draco after that I was concerned about...I knew something must be determined between you before you returned and well, I was concerned for your happiness...but I can sense you are unhappy. Do you want to talk or would you like some more time alone?" He said all this very slowly, he did not want to be pushy or to seem eager for Draco to be out of the picture. And I knew he wasn't. He had never once mentioned having sex during the ritual or wanting to do so again except for that morning after. It was something that surprised me, albeit a pleasant surprise.

I held my hand out to him and while remaining on the floor, he moved closer to me and gripped my hand with his.

And I showed him everything. Before the battle, during the battle, and that gut wrenching conversation after the battle. It was the first time I let him hear a conversation between Draco and me in a memory.

When my memory finished, I refocused my mind on the present and he looked up at me with pained eyes. All at once, he was on the bed with me, softly saying, "Come here," and I was being cradled against his chest.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione...that must have been so difficult."

I nodded. "I was always pretending that conversation would never have to happen...so foolish of me, and so out of character."

"Yes, well...we do that when we love someone."

"I still hope that he might come around someday, as stupid as that may be. I wish he could see that his potential for greatness does not lie in tyranny."

"I didn't tell you this before, because I had the feeling there would be a better time to tell you, a time like this...but after Awen saw the color of Draco's flame she said that a power of great strength is in store for that man. He is very powerful. But she cannot read what kind of power. The power for good or for ill? Only time will tell that now," Eamon said softly.

I nodded, understanding that this was the truth. I hoped that I would someday develop Eamon's patience with time. Right now I felt that I could hardly wait two seconds to know what the future of this held.

We sat in silence for some time. I could tell he did not want to push me to talk more than I wanted to.

"Why do you never acknowledge what happened between us that night?" I eventually asked.

"You mean why don't I try courting you? Or try to bed you?"

I almost laughed at these phrases he used, but I just shrugged and said, "Umm, I guess that's what I mean." It wasn't that I hoped he would start hitting on me all of the time, but in most cases if what we did for that ritual happened with any other man, I was certain that he would not ignore that it happened. He would actually be bringing it up every chance he got.

Eamon chuckled. "I can't make any kind of claim on you until something happens outside of the rituals. What we did was real and I enjoyed every second of it, but it was not the intimacy of two people. When we share that, then I will likely be following you around like a puppy. But now is not the time for that, now is the time to go with the flow of conversation, we must see where that leads us in the future."

With the word future, I was instantly reminded of my Draco free future. "Does it ever stop hurting, Eamon? I feel empty, like someone just ripped my innards out after stabbing me repeatedly. I want to cry, but I can't even bring myself to think about it for fear I'll never stop..."

Eamon gave me a sad-looking smile. "Time really does heal everything, Hermione. I felt as you did once before and I thought I would never be truly happy again. But the passage of time does amazing things."

I nodded, but didn't say anything.

"You know you've got to cry at some point, Hermione. It hurts, but it helps. And I'm here for you...you can share your burden with me."

"Thank you, Eamon," I said and I knew he was right. With time the loss of Ron became easier to bear, and this would be okay to with time. I knew that he would help me having experienced an even greater loss himself.

I sat up and gave him as genuine a smile as I could muster. "I appreciate how you have been here for me since my initiation. And would it be too much to ask if you might stay with me here tonight? Just for sleeping," I added quickly at the end. I didn't want to be putting any ideas into his head.

He almost laughed but understood. "I'm here for you whenever you need me, my Lady." I was happy he consented. I did not want to be alone all night, for fear I would dwell on my sadness and never sleep, never move again. Eventually I would cope, but not now. Everything was too fresh. I knew that Eamon could distract me from my sadness with stories from his long life.

I smiled in return and said, "Thank you. For now, I think I'm going to take a walk by myself."

I took a long walk in the forest until I reached a small hilltop. I sat upon it and thought about my situation and the battle for many hours. And looking out over the forest, this beautiful place that would be my home for many years now, I resolved that I could not allow myself to spend my time mentally suffering over what passed with Draco. Oh sure, it would take more than these few hours to heal what happened, but I had a responsibility to these people here. A responsibility I fully comprehended and wanted, and I would approach it seriously. I wanted to help these people find a way back into the mortal realm if they wanted the opportunity to voyage there again. I had completely new experiences ahead of me, an entirely different and beautiful world to learn about, and I was as ever ready to step up to that challenge.


	32. Epilogue

Epilogue

It was only a week later that I realized something had changed in my body. The only reason I could know this early was because of my power, and I told Eamon.

"I must go to him, Eamon."

"But you can't! The portal is dangerous, and especially after such a large trip as the last one you just made. Your powers are not stable in the mortal realm yet either. I know everything went smoothly last time, but these things can't be trusted yet," Eamon exclaimed.

"I am carrying his child! Tomorrow I will go to him," I said in a tone that said I am not going to discuss it any further.

"But Hermione -"

"Don't Eamon," I cut him off. "You can't persuade me out of this. He will have to raise her until she's old enough to start coming here in the summers to learn of her duty. If she would choose to take it that is."

"How do you know it's a girl?" Eamon asked.

"I just do."

Eamon shook his head. "It is dangerous, for you and the child. I wish you wouldn't go, but I see that you must..." Eamon drifted off catching my expression, warning him to drop the subject.

"Don't worry Eamon. It will only be a short trip."

And it was. When I arrived, Draco was shocked.

"Hermione, what are you doing here?" he asked as he further opened the door to let me into his office that the house elf unnecessarily led me to, as much as I persuaded him otherwise.

"Are you busy? I don't mean to interrupt if you are in the middle of a meeting," I said, peering into the office.

"No, I'm free today. Come in," he said, moving away from the door to let me in.

I walked over to the couch he had in the corner of the room, where we sat talking about the plan we developed to take down Voldemort little more than a year ago. I was about to sit, but then thought I might be better off if I remained standing.

"I just came to tell you something important," I said, turning to meet his eyes. He looked confused and concerned.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I'm pregnant."

He blanched. "You're...wow...you're telling me I'm actually going to be a father?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you."

"How far along are you?" he asked, looking at my stomach as if for evidence.

"Only a week, nothing will be showing yet," I told him.

He looked at me like I was nuts. "You know after only a week?"

"It's because of the power I have now. I can feel that slight change in my body keenly."

Draco nonetheless stepped forward and placed his hand where the bulge in my stomach would eventually begin to show.

"Will you bring her to me after she is born? I hope to see her..." Draco murmured.

"Draco," I breathed, hurt that he would think I'd never let him see her after coming here to tell him that I was going to have this child. "Do you really think that I would keep her away from you?"

He shrugged.

I pulled him into a tight hug, finding myself on the verge of tears. "Oh Draco...she is as much your daughter as she is mine, I will never keep her from you." I pulled away slowly and took his face in my hands. "I am happy to be having this child with you."

A small, yet still sad smile appeared on his face. "I'm happy too," he said.

And then he kissed me, softly at first, to see if I would reject him, but I nearly moaned into his mouth and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer and closer.

I kept pushing further until I felt his hands starting to move from my hips and around my waist, slowly moving even higher. I pulled away suddenly.

"I can't, I can't...I'm so sorry, it just...it hurts, Draco," I said pleading with him to understand.

He hung his head, but said, "I know. It does for me too, just to see you here...I want to..." he shook his head. "It's no use," he said more to himself than to me.

Determining that one of us needed to initiate the regaining of control and composure, I took a deep breath to calm myself and then said, "There's something I need to ask you though."

"What is it?"

"Well, it is customary, especially when we have a child with someone from the mortal realm, that our children are raised outside of Avalon until a certain age. So I want to know if you'll take care of our daughter?"

Now it was his turn to be hurt by my question. "This is my child and you are asking me as if it's some kind of favor to you? Yes I want to take care of her! Are you mad?"

I couldn't help but smile with relief. "I'm sorry, Draco...I just couldn't know for certain after our talk when the battle ended..."

But he wasn't smiling. "It's always you who is unsure of me! I wish you would stop it, Hermione."

"Don't say that like I have no reason to be! How is ruling the world going for you?" I asked snidely.

"Don't you dare go there again! I am doing what I always set out to do, and I will not be berated by you for it. If you can't support me then...well, we already had that talk and saw where it got us," Draco fumed.

I was staring at the floor now, and we stood in silence. "I think I should go," I said, seeing that this was going nowhere fast. I had said what I wanted, and there was no use lingering given the state of our relationship, or rather non-relationship. "I'll come again after she is born."

"I don't really care to see you again until you can stop doubting me, and questioning what I'm doing here."

I looked up at him to see that he was half turned away from me, his jaw clenched in anger. I was shocked at the harshness of his tone, something I had not heard in his voice when directed towards me in a very long time. Before he could see how hurt I was, I aparated from his home back to the shore of the lake.

* * *

It was not much later that I noticed another strange change in my body. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I knew it had to do with the child, so I went to the midwife.

"I don't think there is anything wrong, nothing feels bad, but something is different," I explained as she placed her hands over my stomach to use her magic to read what was going on inside of me.

She smiled after only a few moments. "You sure are right about a change, and it is a good one. You're carrying twins."

I blanched. "Twins?"

She nodded, continuing to smile. "You have a girl and a boy on the way."

Draco would be in for a rude awakening when two babies instead of one were left with him. I might have gone to tell him about this change, but I was heeding his words from our last meeting. Let him find out when the time came.

Eamon was most attentive during my pregnancy, and I was greatly appreciative for it.

"It's partially because I care about you," he explained one night before he left for his own tree. "But I'm also being selfish because I feel your discomfort to some degree. Not literally, but it starts to nag at me and I can't concentrate on anything else until you are comfortable again."

"You are going to be a wreck when the birth actually happens," I said.

A look of extreme pain came over his face and I couldn't help but laugh. "Don't remind me," he said.

When the children were born, I kept them only one night with me before they were sent to Draco. I named them Alya and Orion, and it was painful to give them up after just giving birth to them.

I sent the midwife to take them to Draco, still vowing to heed his words, as much as I wanted to take them to him myself. I waited anxiously for her return, for one to know they were safely transported there and also to know of Draco.

The midwife returned and told me of her experience at Draco's.

"He asked me where you were first thing, why you didn't bring them."

"He did?" I asked, confused.

She nodded slowly. "Yes, he looked devastated when I said you seemed to think he didn't want you to come. He seemed to remember something looked angry."

"Well did he say anything about it?"

She shook her head. "Nothing, he just said thank you and that he could take the children from there. And then he wanted me to tell you that you were right, and that was it. He walked out of the room with the children."

"Right about what?" I asked perplexed.

She had no idea. And I was left contemplating that statement until I saw my daughter and son again, twelve years later, after their first year of school.

When they arrived, I was nearly in tears at the joy of seeing them again. I was astounded by how much Orion looked like Draco. It was startling, and I was momentarily thrown back in time to the first time I met Draco Malfoy at Hogwarts in our first year. Alya possessed more of a combination of our looks, with my mouth but Draco's eyes and straight hair. I was immediately surprised by the color of her hair. When they were born, I could tell that they were both going to be blond, but Alya's hair had significantly darkened over the years. Nowhere near the shade of mine, but it was a light brown.

I was not sure how they would receive me, how Draco had described me to them. But I was relieved with immeasurable joy when they ran up and hugged me once they got off the boat.

"Dad was right, you are beautiful," Alya said first thing.

I couldn't help but laugh. It was quite the ice breaker with my estranged children. It was sad to not have any idea what they liked or who they were in any sense. "Oh he said that did he? And what else has your father said about me? Only good things I hope," I replied still laughing.

Orion was nodding eagerly, "Always good things. That you are beautiful and that you are the smartest witch of your age and you made a great sacrifice for the world and for us."

I was at a loss of what to say, hardly believing that Draco could say such things about me when I wasn't around.

Perhaps picking up on the fact that I was at a loss, Alya then stepped forward with an envelope in her hand.

"Dad wanted me to give you this first thing when we got here," she said.

She handed me the letter, which I held onto until I was alone later. For now, it was time to get to know my children and show them this part of their life and heritage.

"This is my closest friend, Eamon," I said, introducing them to Eamon who was standing not far behind me. He wished to give me privacy upon my first reunion with my children.

We spent the entire day leading them through the forest, introducing them to people, and showing them how to travel through the forests on the main paths. I could see already that both were very bright, and were earning top marks in their class. They said that much to Draco's dismay, neither one had been sorted into Slytherin house at school, but instead Alya was sorted into Gryffindor and Orion into Ravenclaw. I loved listening to their stories of school and of the friends they had made. It was through them that I learned of Ron's children with Pansy, Cecile and Armands son and daughter, as well as Nott and Daphne's son. They were friendly with all of them and I was happy for all they had been doing, and yet sad that I could not witness their childhood first hand.

They each had their own tree for the summer and once I had them settled in for the night, I returned to my own, eager to read the letter that had been in the back of my mind for the entire day.

_Dear Hermione,_

_You were right, I cannot even begin to explain how right you were. I have long since given up my plans of complete control. A free world is best. I had been arguing with Weasley and your two other friends, Longbottom and Thomas for many months before I could finally admit that all of you were right. They were on the verge of launching a full blown rebellion, and I realized how narcissistic I have been all my life. _

_I sat down with Theo and Blaise for a long time, talking about the state of our world and about what our rightful place in it should be. We all came to agree that we had been experiencing doubts for some time after we defeated Voldemort. The unity was gone, and the accomplishment felt hollow as we continued to uphold all of his same doctrines. I wish I could have spoken with you as I experienced these things, as I came to the realization that a world that is not dominated by hate is beautiful, and I cannot tell you how much happier I have become upon adopting a doctrine that is not driven by hatred. Of course it was not easy, and I have lost many friends, but I would not change my decision._

_It was a short time after the children were brought to me that I relinquished all orders for the capture of rebels, I lifted the ban on muggleborns and half-bloods in the government offices and I reopened fair elections. And do you know, the people were so shocked, so happy, and then confident in my ability to now uphold fairness and equality that they elected me? I am still the Minister of Magic. You were right that it was the pursuit peace and equality that brings greatness to a man, and I wish I had discovered that sooner._

_I was saddened when you didn't come to me after Alya and Orion were born. I regretted those words I said, you know the ones about never wanting to see you until you accepted the horrible things I had planned to do. I am ashamed and sorry. I am sorry for how I have hurt you, and I hope you can forgive me someday. _

_I hope that it will please you to know that Weasley and I have come to normal, even almost friendly speaking terms (I can picture your astounded expression right now). I know that he misses you, as I do. It was actually inevitable for us to become friends since he had two sons and a daughter with Pansy, and she always insisted as the kids grew up that they play together. Theo and Daphne also have a son. Blaise has settled down with a woman from America but he has no kids (could you imagine Blaise with kids? That would be either a disaster or the most hilarious spectacle in history). Armand misses you too. He and Cecile had a daughter and a son as well, and whether Orion admits it or not, I think he has taken a liking to their daughter. I am sure that you would be curious about Longbottom and Thomas after your reunion with them too. Longbottom is teaching Herbology at Hogwarts now, and has a son with a witch I have never met. All that I know of Thomas is that he settled down in France and he occasionally visits Weasley._

_But I don't doubt that you are most curious about our children. Orion and Alya are wonderful. I know they look forward to meeting you. I could not be more thankful that they have always been understanding about your absence. I have been as adamant as possible in explaining why you could not be with us as they grew up, and I told them much of what led to this situation, including my power hungry antics, to which Alya bluntly told me that I was stupid back then. She is candid with everyone, but especially with me. _

_She is much like you, stubborn and brilliant, but she has your goodness, and is always keeping Orion and me in line. She is going to make a great Lady like you someday. But Orion too has your intelligence, perhaps even more so. Even if not as outspoken as Alya, I can already see that he is going to be sincere and kind. I wish you could have seen them growing. I must say that Orion looks exactly like me, and Alya did too at first, with the blonde hair, blue eyes and all. But her hair steadily darkens as she grows, and it is now a light brown. I can't explain why that would happen, but she reminds me even more of you as she grows. _

_I know that much time has passed and maybe you have found another, more kind and peaceful man where you are (and I will not pretend that I have been celibate in these years myself), but I hope that someday you might realize the extent of my love for you, and that it has never diminished. I still care and I hope I may see you when you return to this world. I hope that one day, you might give me another chance to treat you the way you deserve. _

_I wish I knew what life was like for you in Avalon. I wish I had a more regular means of communicating with you. I've wanted to tell you all of these things and more for ten years now. I hope you are happy. _

_Yours,_

_D._

Silent tears were sliding down my face as I finished this letter. I never dreamed he would come to his senses so early in his career. I was in fact astonished and pleased that he was finally friendly with Ron. I hoped that I could someday see that simply because I never dreamed it was possible for those two to overlook history. The man in the letter was completely different and yet exactly the same. What shined through in the letter was the kindness that I always knew was there but always suppressed. I was also surprised at his honesty by telling me that he had been with other women in my absence, but rather than feel jealousy or disappointment, I was relieved, solely because no more than a year after the children were born I embarked on a more serious relationship with Eamon. One that was amazing and enlightening at the time, but I think we both knew that it was not forever.

It lasted for almost seven years, and then slowly we stopped choosing to seek physical pleasure from each other. It was not even sad, but natural. We enjoyed each other for a long time, but not any longer than we were meant to. We felt, and still feel a deep love for one another, but the passion was never the same that is felt between those meant to be lovers for the long term. We had a passion that was bound to fizzle out, and it happened without so much as a discussion. It was already an understanding between us. There is a time and place for everything, Eamon always reminds me in his never-ending quest to teach me his level of patience. We had our time, and it was wonderful, but it ended as it must.

I instantly set to writing my short response for Orion and Alya to return to him with.

_Dear Draco,_

_I cannot pretend that I am not astonished as I read your letter, but happy beyond words. I always knew there was the capacity for good in you and I am proud of you for recognizing it. I have never been so proud for you. I have no doubt that you are a brilliant Minister of Magic. I wish I could hear more about that, and about everything that you have been doing in the past eleven years. _

_To hear from you makes me happier than I have been in a very long time. Not that I haven't been happy in Avalon, I have been. It is beautiful here, as you saw yourself, and I have developed close friendships as well as greater knowledge than I ever dreamed of possessing. But you have always brought a level of happiness to me that exceeds all else, and it is something I cannot explain. _

_But I have been very happy here in this peaceful world, and I wish I could share it with you now, but although the portal is just about in perfect working order, we are still debating how we want to interact with the mortal realm now. _

_I wish I could have been there for you as you struggled through those times, but like many things, it is something you could have only experienced on your own. But I still wish to know all of your thoughts, your ideas, and to talk with you again._

_I have little to tell you here in this letter, all that I can explain of this place is only fitting in person, but I want to tell you. When I leave here, I hope to see you. And while time has healed the worst wounds that our history together has created, I have always retained a love for you that I know will never disappear. _

_I hope you remain happy, that you continue to succeed in these next few years before we can see each other again. It won't be long now before I am back in the mortal realm and we will talk again, I promise you that._

_Love,_

_H._

_P.S. It is now the end of the summer and tomorrow Alya and Orion will return to you, as much as I would like to keep them here with me. They are amazing, and I could not be happier to finally know them. You have raised them brilliantly and I know they look forward to seeing you again. While Alya is still young, and cannot fully grasp the scope of the responsibility she would have here if she took my place when she comes of age, she has already felt a deep connection with Avalon. I can see it in her, and everyone here can see it too, and they have taken to treating her warmly as though she is already a permanent part of the realm. I think even Orion has a great interest in the world, and he spent much time with Eamon, learning about the history and life here. _

_I hope all is well with you._

_H._

While I was not quite willing to wish away the next six years, I was now eagerly looking forward to seeing Draco again in all of his newly embraced kindness. Still, a lot could change in six years and I could not rush into anything when I left in the future. It was for that reason that I did not guarantee giving him any second chances. I wanted to right now. I was amazed at how quickly I could forgive him, but I couldn't rush.

Eamon was happy when I told him about the letters the day Alya and Orion left. I didn't tell him immediately, because I for some reason enjoyed the intimate exchange by letter that was completely private between Draco and me.

"You were always right about him," he said as we walked down the bank of a slow, winding river.

I nodded. "I always knew it was there, and I am happy and relieved he eventually recognized it. Reading his letter is like hearing from a completely different man."

"A man you still love?"

"Of course. It was that side of him that I always loved most."

He smiled with real joy for me. "I couldn't be happier for you, Hermione." I smiled too, but couldn't help but feel almost sad as I looked at him.

"Will you ever love another woman the way you loved the one you lost all those years ago?" I asked.

He took a moment to think. "Well you know that I have loved you deeply, but I see what you are asking, because what we have isn't quite the same is it? You are the closest I have felt to it, but I can't say for certain if I will feel that ever again. I have the capability. It has been many, many years and I am not holding on to anything, but I haven't met anyone to bring me such immediate and uncontrollable joy. I don't doubt that I may again someday though. There is no predicting who I may meet in the future. But don't look at me in that way, Hermione. I am not saddened by it."

"I'm glad you aren't. I do hope you will feel that happiness again someday though," I said.

He took my arm in his and said, "Don't worry about that. Avalon is my first love, and while I am here, I will always be happy and never lonely. But it's very late and I can sense you are getting tired so let's walk back."

"I am. Having kids around to look out for is draining. And two of them! How did Draco do it when they were even younger and rowdier?"

"I've never had kids myself, so I couldn't tell you. But it's more work than I'd imagine, I'm sure."

And walking back slowly through the woods at night, we shared thoughts and memories until I reached my tree, at which point he said good-night and retired to his own.

* * *

Six years later, Alya finished school and agreed to take on the responsibility after coming here every summer between school years and thoroughly falling in love with the land. I guided her through the rituals, taught her the magic in the same way Lady Awen had for me almost twenty years ago.

On the final night of the rituals, I had retired to my tree, leaving Alya to celebrate with her new brothers and sisters, and the man she was bonded within the realm.

Eamon stood with me beside the fountain I would return through. Without even touching him to see his thoughts, I knew he was more upset than he let on at seeing me go.

"You know, it is customary for the one bonded with the Lady to leave Avalon with her when her time comes. That's why Una left with Lady Awen."

"You never told me this before!" I exclaimed.

He smiled sheepishly. "I didn't because I wasn't sure what to do. Because of our bond, I want nothing more than to come through with you. Yet I cannot bear to leave Avalon...and to embrace a mortal life? I don't have it in me for that, I don't think. But if you ask it of me I will, and I will gladly follow without looking back."

"Eamon, I could never ask you to give up your life here! I won't lie, it breaks my heart to leave you, but if this is where you want to be then you have to stay here. Forget what's customary!" I said.

Eamon smiled broadly, and with visible relief. "Thank you, Lady Hermione."

"Oh, stop that nonsense. You are like the other half of me. For you to call me Lady Hermione is ridiculous. Come here," I said and I pulled him into a tight hug.

"Such a strong part of me is pulled to come with you though," he said in my ear. "Maybe in time I will join you in the mortal realm."

"Well don't wait too long if you want to or I'll be dead," I joked. "I know how you are with that patience of yours."

He laughed too.

"And besides," I continued. "That may be unnecessary since the portal is almost completely perfect now. You all just need to finally decide how much you are all permitted to pass into the mortal realm."

"I'm going to have to start urging for us to finish these debates sooner then. But you should be warned, that you are going to age much slower than everyone else." he agreed.

"How slow?" I asked.

"Given the amount of time you were here, you'll likely live another two hundred years in the mortal realm."

I blanched, amazed. "My goodness, that's unreal. I can't even imagine such a long lifetime, but I can't say I'm disappointed."

"I'm happy too. If I thought I would be losing you even sooner than that, I believe I'd be thoroughly depressed."

"I love you, Eamon. And I'm going to miss you," I said pulling him into another hug.

"I love you too. But you will see me again. Even if we don't agree, I'll have to come see you again soon. With this bond, it will be to unnatural and uncomfortable for me to remain here for too long without seeing you. I'll be making visits."

"My door will always be open to you," I promised.

And I stepped away from him for the last time, and looked down at the water in the fountain.

"You will watch over Alya?" I said, still lingering, still not feeling ready to leave.

Eamon smiled. "Of course, as much as I can. She is smart and she has Tristan. She won't be needing me all that much."

I nodded in agreement and then laughed at myself. "I need to stop lingering. Good-bye for now, Eamon."

"See you soon," he said and I finally willed myself to leave.

* * *

I found myself on the shore of the lake and recognized it was midday. Being back in the mortal realm felt strange, I felt unbalanced. And even more pronounced was the realization that my power was gone. I pulled out my long forgotten and unused wand. I aparated to the one place I was longing to go to most.

I landed outside of Malfoy Manor, on the front step as I did all those years ago when I came to tell Draco I was pregnant. I hoped Draco was in and not in a meeting now. I didn't even know what day it was here. Before I could even knock, the door was thrown open before me, and Draco was standing before me.

He was expecting me, but he still couldn't help the surprise that played out on his face. He stood before me, apparently speechless.

"You haven't aged at all," he said eventually, astounded.

He had though, there was no denying that, but he had aged well. Here he was, now closer to forty-five and he could still pass for thirty-five. If there was one thing he would be eternally blessed in, it was looks.

I shook my head. "Not yet, but now that I'm out here I will."

"I just can't believe you're here. I've been waiting, hoping that nothing would change since I got your letter, that you would come see me when you left there." And then suddenly getting a hold of himself, he said, "What am I doing? Come inside," he said and stepped aside for me to walk in.

"You seemed to be expecting me," I said.

He nodded. "I was, someday soon. I was at the office today actually, but when you aparated onto my property, my alarms went off, because no one aparates here anymore. I knew it was you, so I left."

"Is Orion here?" I asked. I hadn't seen him since the summer after his sixth year.

Draco shook his head. "He has living in an apartment of his own. He's working in the Ministry too of course, but he wanted to have a home of his own. When he knows that you are here, he will come over tonight for dinner though."

I smiled, pleased that I would see him again. "I would love that," I said.

"How is Alya?" he asked after a slight pause. I could tell he wanted to say something desperately, but was holding back.

"She couldn't be better. She truly loves Avalon, and I expect she will actually want to stay there longer than I did. She told me she is in no rush to have children yet. She wants to really get to know the land, and to focus on rejoining it with this one."

"I hope it'll be rejoined so we can see her," he said.

I nodded in agreement and he led me to a set of couches in the main living room, one of the many sitting rooms he had in this mansion. He sat next to me on one of the couches and took my hand in his, looking at me with complete seriousness.

"Hermione, I know that I apologized in my letter, but I need to tell you again how sorry I am for everything I've done to you. Capturing you, urging you to go to Avalon, using you the way I did to achieve my shallow goals. I never should've done those things, and I did them to you...the one person I love more than any other! I'm still ashamed of myself," he said, pleading with me believe the sincerity of his apology. I could see that he had been preparing, and in some ways agonizing over this day for a long time.

"Draco, don't apologize again. It might have only been written in a letter, but I know you were sincere, and I don't doubt you for a moment," I replied squeezing his hand.

"You don't?" he asked, shocked. He seemed to think that he would have to talk me into giving him another chance. I suppose because my letter only said that I would like to see him and talk to him again, and that I still loved him, but I gave no indication of under what terms I would see him again. He didn't know for certain if I would take him back as a lover.

"I always knew you had it in you, Draco. Because you are capable of loving. You could never be quite so horrible as Voldemort because of that. I tried my best to always keep up hope that you might one day change. There is nothing holding me back from trying again."

"So you are here again...to stay?" He didn't allow the hopefulness he felt creep into his voice, but it was all over his face.

"Let's not rush into things," I said. "Like you said, it's been a long time, but I think we can see where things may go."

His eyes lit up. "I never dared allow myself to even imagine you would be here again. I can set up a room for you and -"

"Ah no. We are going to do this like normal people. I'm living in my own home for now," I said cutting him off.

He looked like he wanted to pout but said, "Fair enough. Tonight, we'll eat with Orion, just because it's right and I know he wants to see you, but tomorrow night, I want to have you all to myself and take you out for a real dinner."

"Are you asking me out on a date?" I asked with amusement.

"It's a date," he said and I allowed him to pull me to him for a kiss.

Going on a real date with Draco Malfoy. Who would've ever thought?

* * *

AN: Alya is a star in the constellation Serpens.


End file.
